The U.S. Supreme Court case Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock in 1902 revolved around the issue of whether Congress had the authority to unilaterally break treaties with Native American tribes. The Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache Tribes filed a lawsuit against Ethan A. Hitchcock, Secretary of Interior at that time, arguing that an act passed by Congress violated their rights under the Medicine Lodge Treaty of 1867 which guaranteed them reservation lands in Oklahoma. They claimed that this act allowed for allotment and sale of surplus tribal land without their consent violating treaty provisions. However, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Hitchcock stating that while it was regrettable if any injustice resulted from Congressional action; it was not within judicial power to question such legislative discretion unless there were clear violations against constitutional limitations or rights secured by fundamental law. This decision reinforced plenary power doctrine - asserting complete government control over Indian affairs without judicial review for fairness or adherence to Constitutional guarantees like due process or equal protection under law - significantly impacting future relations between federal government and Native American tribes.

In the dissenting opinion for Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock, Justice John Marshall Harlan argued that the majority's decision was a gross violation of treaty obligations and an overreach of Congressional power. He contended that Congress did not have unlimited authority to unilaterally abrogate treaties with Native American tribes without their consent or just compensation. Harlan believed this violated principles of justice, honor, and good faith inherent in such agreements between sovereign nations. Furthermore, he warned against setting a dangerous precedent where Congress could arbitrarily disregard its commitments to other nations as well as domestic entities under similar circumstances. Thus, he disagreed with the majority's interpretation of plenary power doctrine which allowed absolute federal control over Indian affairs without due regard for existing treaties or tribal sovereignty.