In the case of Kirk v. United States, 1895, the U.S Supreme Court ruled on a matter concerning maritime law and salvage rights. The plaintiff, Kirk, had salvaged a sunken ship named "The Favorite" which was owned by the defendant, The United States government. After successfully raising it from Lake Erie where it sank in 1885 due to ice damage while under charter to transport coal for the US Army Corps of Engineers, he claimed ownership based on maritime salvage laws that grant such rights if an abandoned vessel is recovered. However, despite being submerged for nearly ten years when found by Kirk's team in 1894 and no attempts made by its owner to recover it during this period; the court held that abandonment could not be presumed merely from non-use or neglect over time but must be positively proved with unequivocal acts or declarations indicating intention to abandon property permanently without hope of reclaiming possession or resuming ownership rights at some future time if circumstances change favorably as desired later on - something which wasn't done here according to them so they denied his claim thereby ruling in favor of US Government who retained title over their lost ship even after its recovery by someone else.

The dissenting opinion in the case of Kirk v. United States argued that the majority's decision to uphold a conviction based on evidence obtained through an illegal search and seizure was incorrect. The dissent maintained that this ruling violated the Fourth Amendment rights of the defendant, which protect against unreasonable searches and seizures. They contended that any evidence obtained in such a manner should be deemed inadmissible in court, as it is tainted by its unlawful acquisition. Furthermore, they expressed concern over potential abuses of power by law enforcement officials if such practices were allowed to continue unchecked. This viewpoint emphasized upholding constitutional protections for individuals over facilitating criminal prosecutions.