The Levy Court v. Coroner case was a dispute between the Levy Court of Kent County, Delaware and the coroner of that county over who had authority to appoint an administrator for a deceased person's estate. The court held that under Delaware law, only coroners had such power; however, the Levy Court argued it should have been able to do so as well. Ultimately, the Supreme Court sided with the coroner in this case and ruled that only he could make such appointments. This decision established precedent which has since been followed by other courts throughout America: when there is no will or executor appointed by one who dies intestate (without leaving behind instructions on how their property should be distributed), then it is up to local coroners – not any other government body – to appoint administrators for those estates.

In Levy Court v. Coroner, the Supreme Court of the United States held that a coroner was not entitled to compensation for his services in holding an inquest into a death from violence or accident. The majority opinion found that coroners were officers of local government and as such had no right to demand payment for their services beyond what was provided by statute. Justice Field dissented on this point, arguing that while it is true that coroners are officers of local government, they should be compensated for their work because it is necessary and important public service which requires time and effort on behalf of the coroner. Furthermore, he argued that if there were no compensation then few people would be willing to serve as coroners due to the lack of incentive or reward associated with doing so. He concluded by stating that denying them reasonable compensation would lead to a decrease in quality when it comes to inquests being conducted properly and efficiently.