In the case of Dewey v. United States, 1899, the Supreme Court ruled on a dispute involving mining rights in Colorado. The plaintiff, Dewey, had obtained a patent for his mine from the U.S government but was later sued by another party claiming prior possession and use of part of that land under local customs and laws before it became federal territory. The lower court found in favor of this other party based on their prior use claim. However, upon appeal to the Supreme Court, it was decided that once Congress passed legislation regarding mineral lands (in this case through an act in 1872), any previous local customs or laws were superseded by federal law. Therefore all claims to such lands must be made according to these new regulations set forth by Congress. The decision reaffirmed that only those who complied with federal requirements could obtain valid title over public mineral lands regardless if they had been using them previously under different rules or norms. This ruling reinforced Congressional authority over public domain resources while also providing clarity about property rights within newly incorporated territories.

In the dissenting opinion for Dewey v. United States, Justice Harlan argued that the majority's interpretation of the law was too narrow and failed to consider its broader implications. He contended that if a person knowingly makes false statements with intent to defraud, they should be held accountable regardless of whether their actions directly resulted in financial loss or not. The justice believed that it was enough for someone to have acted dishonestly with fraudulent intentions; actual damage need not occur for fraudulence to exist. Furthermore, he disagreed with the majority's view on what constitutes 'material' falsehoods, arguing instead that any lie which could potentially influence decision-making should be considered material even if it did not ultimately affect outcomes in this particular case.