Draper v. Davis was a United States Supreme Court case that addressed the issue of whether a state court had the authority to grant a divorce to a married couple. The case was brought by the husband, Draper, who argued that the state court had no authority to grant a divorce to his wife, Davis, without his consent. The Supreme Court held that the state court did not have the authority to grant a divorce without the consent of both parties. The Court reasoned that the state court had no power to interfere with the marital relationship between the parties, and that the state court could not grant a divorce without the consent of both parties. The Court also noted that the state court had no power to grant a divorce without the consent of the husband, as the husband had the right to refuse to consent to the divorce. The Court concluded that the state court had no authority to grant a divorce without the consent of both parties, and that the husband had the right to refuse to consent to the divorce. The Court also noted that the state court had no power to interfere with the marital relationship between the parties. This decision established the principle that a state court cannot grant a divorce without the consent of both parties.

Justice Field delivered the dissenting opinion in Draper v. Davis, arguing that the majority had erred in its decision to uphold a lower court ruling which held that an individual's right to vote could be taken away if they failed to pay their poll tax. Justice Field argued that this violated both the Fourteenth Amendment and Article I of the Constitution, as it was effectively denying citizens their right to vote based on economic status rather than any criminal activity or other disqualifying factor. He further argued that such a law would have a disproportionate impact on African Americans, who were more likely than whites at the time to lack financial resources for paying taxes due to systemic racism and discrimination against them. Ultimately, he concluded by stating his belief that no state should be allowed “to disfranchise one class of voters because they are poorer than another” and urged Congress take action against states attempting such practices.