Joshua J. Moore brought a case against James Brown, Alfred Brown, Harmon Hogan and Joseph Froward in the United States Supreme Court. He alleged that he had been wrongfully deprived of his freedom by the defendants who were claiming to be his rightful owners under an act of Congress passed in 1820 which allowed for slaves to be taken from Africa and held as property until they reached adulthood at age 21. The court found that this act was unconstitutional because it violated Article IV Section 2 of the Constitution which states “No person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into another shall…be discharged from such Service or Labour”. Therefore, Joshua J Moore was declared free since he had been unlawfully enslaved by these individuals beyond his 21st birthday when he should have become emancipated according to law. This ruling set a precedent for future cases involving slavery and established important protections for those seeking their freedom through legal means.

In the dissenting opinion of Joshua J. Moore v. James Brown, Alfred Brown, Harmon Hogan and Joseph Froward, Justice McLean argued that the plaintiff had failed to prove his case as required by law. He noted that there was no evidence presented in court to show that any of the defendants were ever in possession or control of a certain tract of land which was at issue in this case; therefore they could not be held liable for trespass on it. Furthermore, he stated that even if one or more of them had been found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, it would have been impossible to determine who among them should bear responsibility for damages since none had exclusive possession over said property. In conclusion, Justice McLean believed there was insufficient proof provided by the plaintiff and thus all four defendants should be acquitted from liability for trespass on said land.