In Miller v. Mayor of New York and Others, the Supreme Court of the United States was asked to decide whether a New York City ordinance was constitutional. The ordinance in question prohibited the sale of certain types of alcoholic beverages in the city. The plaintiffs argued that the ordinance violated their right to due process under the Fourteenth Amendment. The Supreme Court held that the ordinance was constitutional. The Court reasoned that the ordinance was a valid exercise of the police power of the state, and that it was not an unreasonable or arbitrary restriction on the plaintiffs' rights. The Court also noted that the ordinance was not an infringement on the plaintiffs' right to due process, as it was not an unreasonable or arbitrary restriction on their rights. In conclusion, the Supreme Court held that the ordinance was constitutional and did not violate the plaintiffs' right to due process under the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court's decision was a victory for the city of New York, as it allowed the city to continue to regulate the sale of certain types of alcoholic beverages.

Justice Field delivered the dissenting opinion in Miller v. Mayor of New York and Others, arguing that the Court should not have granted a writ of mandamus to compel the mayor to issue a license for an oyster bed. He argued that it was within the discretion of local authorities to determine whether or not such licenses should be issued, and as long as there were no constitutional violations involved, they had every right to refuse them. Furthermore, he noted that if this decision set a precedent allowing federal courts to interfere with local authority decisions like these then it would open up many more cases where people could challenge similar decisions made by state governments without any legal basis. In conclusion, Justice Field believed that granting this writ was wrong because it interfered with local authority's ability to make their own determinations on matters which did not involve any constitutional issues or rights being violated.