Edward Field brought a case before the Supreme Court against Pardon G. Seabury and others, claiming that he had been wrongfully deprived of his right to vote in an election for members of Congress in New York. The court found that while there was no doubt as to Field's qualifications as a voter, the state legislature had passed laws which excluded him from voting due to his political opinions. The court held that this exclusion violated both the Constitution and common law principles of free elections, noting that "the right of suffrage is one so essential to freedom and independence...that it ought not be denied or abridged by any State on account of race, color or previous condition." As such, they ruled in favor of Edward Field and declared the laws unconstitutional.

In the case of Edward Field v. Pardon G. Seabury et al., Justice McLean delivered a dissenting opinion in which he argued that the plaintiff was entitled to recover damages from the defendants for their negligence and breach of contract. He reasoned that, under New York law, when an individual contracts with another party to perform certain services or provide goods, they are obligated to fulfill those obligations in good faith and without negligence; if they fail to do so, then any resulting damage should be compensated by them. In this case, Justice McLean found that there was sufficient evidence presented at trial showing that the defendants had breached their contractual duties towards Mr. Field and were therefore liable for his losses as a result of their actions or omissions. Furthermore, he noted that even though it may have been difficult for Mr. Field to prove his exact damages due to lack of documentation on both sides’ part regarding what exactly happened during negotiations between them prior to entering into a contract agreement - such difficulty did not absolve the defendants from responsibility since it is ultimately up them alone who failed in fulfilling their end of bargain accordingly