In the Hardenbergh v. Ray case of 1893, the U.S Supreme Court ruled on a dispute involving land ownership in Louisiana. The plaintiff, Hardenbergh, claimed that he had purchased several parcels of land from an auction held by the state for unpaid taxes. However, these lands were also claimed by Ray and others who argued that they had acquired them through federal swamp grants before they were sold at auction due to tax delinquency. The court decided in favor of Ray and his associates because it found no evidence proving that proper notice was given about the tax sale as required under Louisiana law at that time. Therefore, since there was no proof showing compliance with this requirement prior to selling off these properties for unpaid taxes, their purchase by Hardenbergh did not legally transfer ownership rights from those who previously possessed them under federal swamp grants.

In the dissenting opinion for Hardenbergh v. Ray, it was argued that the court majority had misinterpreted the law regarding land grants and their associated rights. The dissenting justices believed that a previous ruling by Congress did not intend to grant railroads an exclusive right of way across public lands, but rather only intended to allow them access for construction purposes. They further contended that once a railroad company sold or abandoned its track, any remaining interest in the land should revert back to the government instead of being retained by private parties as per majority's interpretation. In essence, they disagreed with how property rights were allocated following abandonment or sale of railway tracks on public lands.