French v. Shoemaker was a United States Supreme Court case that was decided in 1870. The case involved a dispute between two parties over a contract for the sale of a horse. The plaintiff, French, had agreed to purchase a horse from the defendant, Shoemaker, for $100. French paid the $100, but Shoemaker refused to deliver the horse. French then sued Shoemaker for breach of contract. The Supreme Court held that the contract between French and Shoemaker was valid and enforceable. The Court found that the contract was supported by consideration, meaning that both parties had given something of value in exchange for the horse. The Court also found that the contract was not voidable due to any fraud or misrepresentation on the part of Shoemaker. The Court held that Shoemaker was liable for breach of contract and ordered him to deliver the horse to French. The Court also ordered Shoemaker to pay French $100 in damages for the breach of contract. This decision established that contracts are enforceable and that parties must abide by the terms of the contract or face legal consequences.

In French v. Shoemaker, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a contract between two parties could be enforced if it had been made without consideration and in violation of a state statute. The majority opinion held that such contracts were unenforceable, but Justice Field dissented from this decision. He argued that while the contract may have violated public policy as expressed by the state legislature, there was no evidence to suggest that either party intended to violate any law or act fraudulently when they entered into their agreement. Furthermore, he reasoned that since both parties had already performed under the terms of their agreement prior to its being challenged in court, enforcing it would not create an injustice or lead to any other undesirable consequences for either side; therefore denying enforcement would be unjustified and contrary to established principles of equity and justice.