The Town of East Hartford brought a case against the Hartford Bridge Company, claiming that they had not paid taxes on their property. The company argued that it was exempt from taxation because its charter stated that all profits were to be used for charitable purposes. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the town, stating that while the company's purpose may have been charitable, it still held private property and thus should pay taxes like any other business or individual would. Furthermore, since there was no explicit exemption from taxation in the charter itself, this meant that such an exemption could only be granted by legislative action and not through judicial interpretation. This ruling established a precedent which has been followed ever since; namely, if a corporation holds private property then it must pay taxes regardless of its intended use or purpose.

In the case of The Town of East Hartford v. The Hartford Bridge Company, the dissenting opinion argued that a bridge company should not be allowed to build a bridge over navigable waters without first obtaining permission from the state legislature. According to Justice Catron, who wrote the dissent, this was necessary in order for states to maintain control over their own waterways and ensure public safety. He argued that allowing private companies such as bridges or canals unrestricted access would lead to chaos and confusion on rivers and streams across America. Furthermore, he stated that it was within Congress' power under Article I Section 8 Clause 18 of the Constitution (the "Necessary & Proper" clause) to regulate interstate commerce by granting exclusive rights for navigation purposes only after approval from both houses of Congress had been obtained. Therefore, Justice Catron concluded that since no such congressional authority existed in this particular case then it must have been up to each individual state's legislature whether or not they wanted a bridge built over their waterway - something which Connecticut had yet failed do at this time.