In the 1893 case of Dunlap v. Schofield, the United States Supreme Court addressed a dispute over land ownership in Tennessee. The plaintiff, Dunlap, claimed that he had purchased certain lands from one John Overton many years prior to his death and before they were sold by decree of court for taxes due to the state. He argued that this sale was invalid because it occurred without proper notice being given to him as required by law. However, defendant Schofield countered that he held valid title through subsequent purchasers from those who bought at tax sales and also through adverse possession under color of title for more than seven years. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Schofield based on evidence presented which showed continuous possession and use of the disputed property for more than seven years after acquiring it via tax sale purchases - thereby establishing a claim under adverse possession laws in Tennessee. The court found no proof supporting Dunlap's assertion about lack of proper notice during these transactions or any other irregularities sufficient enough to invalidate them.

In the dissenting opinion for Dunlap v. Schofield, it was argued that the majority's decision to uphold a state law requiring all coal mined in Pennsylvania to be weighed on scales controlled by the mine owners violated constitutional protections of interstate commerce. The dissenting justices contended that this law unfairly burdened out-of-state coal purchasers who had no way of verifying if they were being charged accurately for their purchases. They believed that such regulation should fall under federal jurisdiction as per the Commerce Clause, not individual states'. Furthermore, they expressed concerns about potential abuse and fraud from mine owners due to lack of oversight or checks and balances in place with this system. Thus, while acknowledging states' rights to regulate certain aspects within their borders, these justices felt this particular instance overstepped those bounds into an area constitutionally reserved for federal control.