New Orleans Railroad v. Morgan was a United States Supreme Court case that was decided in 1870. The case involved a dispute between the New Orleans Railroad Company and the Morgan family over the ownership of a piece of land in Louisiana. The Morgan family had been living on the land for many years and had built a house and other structures on it. The railroad company claimed that they had purchased the land from the state of Louisiana and that the Morgan family had no right to be living on it. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Morgan family, finding that the railroad company had not acquired the land in a valid manner. The Court held that the railroad company had not followed the proper procedures for acquiring the land and that the Morgan family had a valid claim to the land. The Court also held that the railroad company had not provided the Morgan family with adequate compensation for the land. As a result, the Court ordered the railroad company to pay the Morgan family for the land and to allow them to remain on the property.

In the case of New Orleans Railroad v. Morgan, Justice Field delivered a dissenting opinion in which he argued that the majority's decision was too narrow and did not take into account all relevant facts. He believed that the court should have considered whether or not there had been any negligence on behalf of either party before making its ruling. In his view, if it could be proven that either side had acted negligently then they would be liable for damages regardless of their contractual agreement with one another. Furthermore, he felt that even if no negligence was found to exist then both parties should still bear some responsibility for any losses incurred as a result of their contract being breached by one or both sides. Ultimately, Justice Field concluded that while contracts are important they must also be balanced against other considerations such as fairness and justice when determining liability in cases like this one.