In the case of Ferry v. Ramsey et al., 1927, the U.S Supreme Court was asked to determine whether a state law that allowed for the seizure and sale of property in order to satisfy tax debts violated due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. The plaintiff, Ferry, had his land seized by Ramsey County in Minnesota after he failed to pay taxes on it. The county then sold this land without providing any notice or opportunity for Ferry to contest this action before it occurred. In its decision, the court ruled against Ferry stating that while due process does require notification and an opportunity for hearing before deprivation of life, liberty or property can occur; these requirements are not absolute and may be bypassed when there is a compelling state interest at stake such as collection of taxes.

The dissenting opinion in the case of Ferry v. Ramsey et al., 1927, argued that the majority's decision to uphold a state law requiring voters to be able to read and write English was unconstitutional. The dissenter believed this requirement violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by discriminating against immigrants who were not proficient in English but were otherwise eligible voters. They contended that literacy tests had historically been used as tools for racial discrimination and could similarly be used here to discriminate based on national origin or language proficiency. Furthermore, they pointed out that many native-born citizens would also fail such a test if it were applied uniformly, suggesting an inherent unfairness in its application only towards naturalized citizens.