Meeks v. Olpherts was a United States Supreme Court case that addressed the issue of whether a state court could enforce a contract that was made in violation of a state statute. The case involved a contract between two parties, Meeks and Olpherts, in which Meeks agreed to pay Olpherts a certain amount of money for the sale of a piece of property. The contract was made in violation of a state statute that prohibited the sale of property for more than its appraised value. The Supreme Court held that the state court could not enforce the contract because it was made in violation of the state statute. The Court reasoned that the state statute was a valid exercise of the state's police power and that the state had the right to protect its citizens from contracts that were made in violation of the law. The Court also noted that the state had the right to protect its citizens from contracts that were made in bad faith or with the intent to defraud. The Court's decision in Meeks v. Olpherts established that state courts could not enforce contracts that were made in violation of state statutes. This decision has been cited in numerous cases since then and has been used to support the idea that state courts should not enforce contracts that are made in violation of the law.

In Meeks v. Olpherts, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a contract between two parties for the sale of land could be enforced when one party had died before it was completed. The majority opinion held that since there was no evidence of fraud or bad faith on either side, and both parties had performed their obligations under the contract up until the death of one party, then it should be enforced in favor of his estate. Justice Field dissented from this decision because he believed that contracts are personal in nature and cannot survive beyond an individual's lifetime unless they have been fully executed prior to death. He argued that if such contracts were allowed to stand after someone has passed away, then it would create uncertainty as to who is legally entitled to enforce them and lead to potential disputes over property rights among heirs or creditors.