Hess v. Reynolds, Administrator is a United States Supreme Court case that was decided in 1885. The case involved a dispute between the administrator of the estate of a deceased man and the man's widow. The administrator of the estate argued that the widow was not entitled to a portion of the estate because she had abandoned her husband prior to his death. The widow argued that she had not abandoned her husband and was therefore entitled to a portion of the estate. The Supreme Court ultimately sided with the widow, ruling that she had not abandoned her husband and was therefore entitled to a portion of the estate. The Court held that the widow had not abandoned her husband because she had continued to provide him with financial support and had not taken any action that would indicate that she had abandoned him. The Court also held that the administrator of the estate had failed to prove that the widow had abandoned her husband. As a result, the Court ruled that the widow was entitled to a portion of the estate.

In the case of Hess v. Reynolds, Administrator, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a state court could order an administrator to pay out funds from an estate without first obtaining approval from a federal court. The majority opinion held that such orders were not permissible under existing law and thus denied the request for payment. Justice Field dissented on this decision and argued that it was within the power of state courts to make such orders when necessary in order to protect creditors or other parties with interests in an estate. He further noted that while Congress had given exclusive jurisdiction over certain matters involving estates located across multiple states, there remained many instances where state courts should be allowed some degree of authority over these cases as well. As such, he concluded that denying payment in this instance would be unjust and contrary to established principles of equity and justice between individuals residing within different states.