In the 1914 case of Herrmann v. Edward, the United States Supreme Court ruled on a dispute involving land ownership and inheritance laws. The plaintiff, Hermann, claimed that he was entitled to certain lands in California under his deceased father's will. However, these lands had been previously sold by his mother (the widow) who had remarried and moved out of state with her new husband (Edward). The court held that according to California law at the time of Mr. Herrmann’s death in 1881, widows were allowed full control over their late husbands' properties if there were no specific instructions left behind regarding its distribution among children or other relatives. Therefore, Mrs.Herrmann-Edward legally transferred those properties to her second husband before she died herself; hence they could not be claimed by Hermann as part of his father's estate anymore.

In the dissenting opinion for Herrmann v. Edward, the justice argued that there was no legal basis to deny a citizen his right to vote based on an error in registration. The justice believed that it was unconstitutional and against democratic principles to disenfranchise a voter due to administrative mistakes or oversights which were beyond their control. He emphasized that voting is not just a privilege but also an essential duty of every American citizen, and any law or regulation should aim at facilitating this process rather than creating unnecessary obstacles. Furthermore, he criticized the majority's interpretation of election laws as overly rigid and literal, arguing instead for a more flexible approach which takes into account individual circumstances and promotes fairness.