The U.S. Supreme Court case English v. Territory of Arizona Ex Rel. Griffith, Treasurer of Pima County (1908) revolved around a dispute over land ownership in the territory of Arizona. The plaintiff, English, claimed that he had purchased the disputed property from its original owner and was therefore entitled to it under territorial law which allowed for such transfers if they were made "in good faith". However, the defendant argued that because the original sale had not been properly recorded as required by law at that time, English's claim was invalid. The court ruled in favor of English on appeal after initially siding with the defendant at trial level. It held that while recording laws did exist to prevent fraudulent claims and provide notice to potential buyers about existing interests in a piece of property; these laws should not be used to invalidate transactions where there is no evidence or suggestion of fraud or bad faith involved. This decision reinforced principles related to bona fide purchasers - those who buy something without knowledge or reason to know about any legal problems with it - and their rights under common law even when statutory requirements may have been overlooked during transaction process.

The dissenting opinion in the case of English v. Territory of Arizona ex rel. Griffith, Treasurer of Pima County argued that the majority's decision was inconsistent with previous rulings and interpretations regarding territorial jurisdiction over public lands. The dissent emphasized that under federal law, territories do not have inherent sovereignty but are subject to Congress' plenary power; thus, they cannot claim ownership or control over public lands within their borders unless expressly granted by Congress. They also pointed out that even if a territory could assert such rights, it would still be subject to federal laws governing land disposal and management which supersede any conflicting territorial statutes or claims. Therefore, they disagreed with the majority's conclusion that Arizona had validly acquired title to certain disputed lands through its school land grant statute without express congressional approval.