In Findlay v. McAllister & Others, the United States Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a state court had the authority to issue a writ of mandamus to compel a county auditor to issue a tax deed. The case arose when the plaintiff, Findlay, purchased a tract of land from the county auditor, McAllister, and paid the taxes due on the property. However, McAllister refused to issue a tax deed for the property, claiming that the taxes had not been paid in full. Findlay then filed a petition in the state court, asking for a writ of mandamus to compel McAllister to issue the deed. The state court granted the writ, and McAllister appealed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court held that the state court had the authority to issue the writ of mandamus. The Court reasoned that the state court had the power to issue the writ because it was necessary to protect the rights of the plaintiff, Findlay, who had paid the taxes due on the property. The Court also noted that the writ was necessary to ensure that the county auditor, McAllister, fulfilled his duty to issue the tax deed. Therefore, the Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the state court and held that it had the authority to issue the writ of mandamus.

In Findlay v. McAllister & Others, the Supreme Court considered whether a state court had jurisdiction to hear an appeal from a probate court in another state. The majority opinion held that it did not have such jurisdiction, as the Constitution does not grant states authority over matters outside of their own borders. Justice Field dissented from this decision and argued that while Congress has exclusive power to regulate interstate commerce, it cannot interfere with the rights of individuals or states when they are acting within their own boundaries. He further noted that if each state was prevented from exercising its judicial powers beyond its borders, then there would be no uniformity in laws between different states and chaos could ensue. Therefore he concluded that allowing one state's courts to exercise jurisdiction over matters occurring in other states is necessary for order and justice among all citizens regardless of where they live or what business they conduct across state lines.