In the 1907 case of Elder v. Wood, the U.S Supreme Court dealt with a dispute over land ownership in Oklahoma. The plaintiff, Elder, claimed that he had purchased the land from an individual who received it through allotment as part of his membership in the Choctaw tribe. However, under federal law at that time, such lands could not be sold or transferred without approval from Congress for a period of 25 years after their initial allocation to tribal members. The defendant argued this point and thus claimed rightful ownership of the property due to its illegal sale by its original owner. The court ruled in favor of Wood (the defendant), stating that any contract made for sale within this restricted period was void and unenforceable because it violated federal law. This decision reinforced existing laws designed to protect Native American tribes' rights and prevent exploitation by prohibiting unauthorized sales or transfers of allotted lands.

In the dissenting opinion for Elder v. Wood, it was argued that the majority's decision to uphold a state law requiring railroad companies to provide separate but equal accommodations for black and white passengers violated the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The dissenting justices contended that this segregation inherently implied inferiority of African Americans, thus denying them equal protection under the law. They believed that such racial separation could not be truly "equal" due to its inherent discriminatory nature and impact on social status and personal feelings of dignity and self-respect among African American citizens. Furthermore, they pointed out inconsistencies in how these laws were applied across different public services beyond railroads which further highlighted their unfairness.