In the case of McClellan v. Chipman (1896), the U.S Supreme Court ruled on a dispute over land ownership in Washington D.C. The plaintiff, McClellan, claimed that he had purchased a piece of property from an individual who was not legally entitled to sell it because they did not have clear title to the land at the time of sale. The defendant, Chipman, argued that he had subsequently acquired valid title to this same property through another transaction and therefore owned it outright. In its decision, the court held that even though there may have been irregularities with how initial ownership was established for this parcel of land due to conflicting claims by multiple parties involved in earlier transactions; these issues were irrelevant since all potential claimants other than Chipman had either abandoned their rights or failed to assert them within a reasonable period after becoming aware of his possession and use of this property as if he were its true owner under law known as "adverse possession". Therefore, any subsequent purchaser like McClellan could not challenge Chipman's legal right based on such prior defects once they became moot points due his unchallenged control over said real estate.

In the dissenting opinion for McClellan v. Chipman, Justice Harlan argued that the majority's decision was a departure from established principles of law and equity. He contended that it was not within the power of Congress to authorize an individual or corporation to take another person's property without their consent, even if just compensation is provided. He believed this violated both constitutional protections against deprivation of property without due process and infringed upon state sovereignty by allowing federal legislation to override state laws governing land ownership and transfer. Furthermore, he disagreed with the majority’s interpretation of “public use,” arguing that it should be strictly construed as something directly used by or beneficial to the public at large rather than broadly interpreted as anything potentially contributing towards general welfare or economic development.