Lyon v. Alley was a Supreme Court case that was decided in 1876. The case involved a dispute between two individuals, William Lyon and John Alley, over a piece of land in the state of Mississippi. Lyon had purchased the land from the state in 1867, but Alley claimed that he had a prior claim to the land. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of Lyon, finding that Alley's claim was invalid. The Court held that Alley's claim was invalid because he had failed to comply with the state's statutory requirements for filing a claim to the land. Specifically, Alley had failed to file a claim within the time period prescribed by the state's statute of limitations. The Court also held that Alley's claim was invalid because he had failed to provide sufficient evidence to support his claim. The Court's decision in Lyon v. Alley established an important precedent for the interpretation of state statutes of limitations. The Court's ruling made it clear that individuals must comply with the requirements of state statutes of limitations in order to have a valid claim to land. This decision has been cited in numerous subsequent cases involving disputes over land ownership.

In the case of Lyon v. Alley, Justice Field wrote a dissenting opinion in which he argued that the majority's decision was wrongfully based on an interpretation of state law rather than federal constitutional law. He believed that Congress had not intended to grant states the power to regulate interstate commerce and thus, any regulation by a state would be unconstitutional. Furthermore, he argued that if Congress had wanted such regulations it would have explicitly stated so in its legislation. In conclusion, Justice Field asserted that since there was no clear indication from Congress as to whether or not states could regulate interstate commerce then they should not be allowed to do so and therefore the majority's ruling should be overturned.