John D. Murrill and the Bank of New Orleans (appellants) brought a case against Alexander Neill and William T. Somerville to the United States Supreme Court in 1850. The appellants sought to recover money from Neill and Somerville, who had been appointed as receivers for insolvent debtors by a Louisiana court. The appellants argued that they were entitled to priority over other creditors because their claim was secured by mortgage on real estate owned by the debtors prior to their insolvency proceedings being initiated; however, this argument was rejected due to an existing state law which provided that all creditors should be treated equally regardless of when or how their claims arose. Ultimately, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Neill and Somerville, finding that state laws must take precedence over any conflicting federal laws regarding matters such as creditor rights in bankruptcy cases.

In John D. Murrill and the Bank of New Orleans v Alexander Neill and William T. Somerville, the dissenting opinion argued that a state court's decision should be respected by the Supreme Court even if it is not in accordance with federal law or constitutional principles. The dissenters believed that when there was no conflict between state laws and federal laws, then the decisions made by state courts should stand as they are based on local customs and practices which may differ from those of other states or regions. They also felt that any attempt to overturn such decisions would lead to confusion among citizens who relied upon them for their legal rights and obligations under both state law and federal law. Furthermore, they argued that allowing a higher court to overrule a lower court’s decision could create an imbalance of power within our judicial system where one branch has more authority than another branch does over certain matters. Ultimately, this could undermine public confidence in our justice system as well as weaken its ability to protect individual liberties through fair adjudication processes at all levels of government