In the 1908 case of Morgan v. Adams, the United States Supreme Court dealt with a dispute over land ownership in Washington D.C. The plaintiff, Morgan, claimed that he had purchased a piece of property from an individual who was not legally capable to sell it as they were not its rightful owner. On the other hand, defendant Adams argued that she was indeed the legal owner and thus had every right to sell it. The court ruled in favor of Adams based on evidence showing her family's long-standing possession and use of this property which established their ownership under District law despite no formal deed being recorded at time of original acquisition by her ancestors. This ruling upheld common law principles recognizing "adverse possession" - where someone can gain legal title to real estate by openly occupying and using it for an extended period without protest or challenge from anyone else claiming ownership.

The dissenting opinion in the case of Morgan v. Adams argued that the majority's decision was a misinterpretation of property rights and inheritance laws. The dissenting justices believed that under existing law, Mr. Morgan had no legal claim to his deceased wife's estate because she had left it to her children from a previous marriage in her will. They contended that while Mr. Morgan may have contributed financially to the acquisition of some properties during their marriage, this did not automatically entitle him to a share in those properties after his wife's death as they were clearly bequeathed to her children according to her last testamentary wishes which should be respected and upheld by the court.