In Lamar, Executor v. Browne et al., the Supreme Court of the United States was asked to decide whether a state court had the authority to set aside a will on the grounds that it was procured by fraud. The case involved the estate of a deceased man, who had left a will that was contested by his heirs. The heirs argued that the will was procured by fraud and should be set aside. The state court agreed and set aside the will. The executor of the estate appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, arguing that the state court did not have the authority to set aside the will. The Supreme Court agreed with the executor, ruling that the state court did not have the authority to set aside the will. The Court held that the power to set aside a will was a matter of federal law, and that the state court did not have the authority to do so. The Court also held that the executor had the right to appeal the state court's decision to the Supreme Court. The Court's decision in Lamar, Executor v. Browne et al. established that the power to set aside a will is a matter of federal law, and that state courts do not have the authority to do so. The decision also established that the executor of an estate has the right to appeal a state court's decision to the Supreme Court.

In Lamar, Executor v. Browne et al., the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a deed of trust executed by a deceased person could be enforced against his estate. The majority opinion held that it could not, as such an agreement would have been void at common law and thus unenforceable in equity. In dissent, Justice Field argued that the court should recognize the validity of such agreements under certain circumstances. He reasoned that if there were sufficient consideration given for the promise made in exchange for money or property, then it should be enforceable even after death since this is what parties to these types of contracts expect when they enter into them. Furthermore, he noted that allowing enforcement would serve as an incentive for people to make arrangements with their creditors prior to death so as not to leave their families with unmanageable debt obligations afterwards.