In the case of Matteson v. Dent, 1899, the United States Supreme Court dealt with a dispute over land ownership in Washington state. The plaintiff, Matteson claimed that he had acquired rights to certain lands under an Act of Congress from March 3rd, 1853 which granted "donation claims" to settlers on public lands in Oregon Territory (which included present-day Washington). However, the defendant Dent argued that this act did not apply as it was superseded by another Congressional Act passed on April 17th, 1854 which excluded these lands from donation claims. The court ruled in favor of Dent stating that while both acts were valid and operative at their respective times; however when they conflicted with each other - as they did here - the later law prevailed over earlier one. Therefore according to them Matteson's claim based on first act was invalid because second act specifically excluded those lands from being subject for donation claims.

The dissenting opinion in the Matteson v. Dent case argued that the majority's decision was inconsistent with previous rulings and established principles of law. The dissent took issue with the court's interpretation of a federal statute regarding land patents, arguing that it had been misapplied in this instance. They believed that Mr. Dent should have been allowed to keep his land patent because he had fulfilled all necessary requirements under existing laws at the time he received it, even if those laws were later changed or interpreted differently by courts or lawmakers. Furthermore, they contended that taking away his property rights retroactively was fundamentally unfair and violated basic principles of justice and equity.