McVeigh v. United States was a United States Supreme Court case that was decided in 1870. The case involved a dispute between the United States government and a private citizen, John McVeigh, over the ownership of a parcel of land in the state of New York. McVeigh had purchased the land from the state of New York in 1867, but the United States government claimed that the land was part of a military reservation and thus belonged to the federal government. The Supreme Court ultimately sided with the United States government, ruling that the land was part of a military reservation and thus belonged to the federal government. The Court held that the United States had the right to take possession of the land for military purposes, and that the state of New York had no authority to sell the land to McVeigh. The Court also held that the United States had the right to take possession of the land without compensating McVeigh for his purchase. The decision in McVeigh v. United States established the principle that the federal government has the right to take possession of land for military purposes without compensating the owner. This principle has been applied in numerous cases since then, and is still in effect today.

In the case of McVeigh v. United States, Justice Field delivered a dissenting opinion in which he argued that Congress had exceeded its authority under the Constitution when it passed an act allowing for the seizure and sale of property to satisfy delinquent taxes without first obtaining a judgment from a court. He maintained that this was an infringement on private property rights and violated due process as guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment. Furthermore, he argued that such action should only be taken after judicial proceedings have been conducted to determine whether or not there is indeed delinquency in payment of taxes owed. In conclusion, Justice Field believed that Congress had acted beyond its constitutional powers by passing legislation authorizing seizures without prior judicial review and thus violating citizens' right to due process before their property can be taken away from them.