Eldred v. Sexton was a United States Supreme Court case that addressed the issue of whether a state law that allowed a person to recover damages for the wrongful death of a relative was constitutional. The case was brought by the plaintiff, Eldred, who sought to recover damages for the wrongful death of his father. The defendant, Sexton, argued that the state law was unconstitutional because it violated the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. The Supreme Court held that the state law was constitutional. The Court reasoned that the law did not discriminate against any particular class of persons and that it was a reasonable exercise of the state's police power. The Court also noted that the law was intended to protect the interests of the deceased's family and that it did not violate any fundamental rights. In conclusion, the Supreme Court held that the state law was constitutional and that Eldred was entitled to recover damages for the wrongful death of his father. The Court's decision established that a state law that allows a person to recover damages for the wrongful death of a relative is constitutional and does not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Justice Field delivered the dissenting opinion in Eldred v. Sexton, arguing that Congress had exceeded its authority under the Constitution when it passed a law extending copyright protection for an additional fourteen years. He argued that this extension was not necessary to promote progress of science and useful arts as required by Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. Furthermore, he maintained that such extensions were unconstitutional because they violated existing contracts between authors and publishers which relied on existing copyright laws at the time those contracts were made. Justice Field concluded his dissent by noting that if Congress could extend copyrights beyond their original terms without any limit or restriction then there would be no end to such extensions and thus no security for anyone who holds a copyright interest in works created before these extended periods began.