In the 1894 case of Palmer v. Corning, the United States Supreme Court ruled on a dispute involving land ownership and inheritance laws. The plaintiff, Palmer, claimed that he was entitled to certain lands in California under Mexican law because his wife had inherited them from her father before they were married. However, after their marriage took place in New York State where community property laws did not exist at that time, the defendant argued that these lands became part of their marital assets and should be divided equally upon divorce according to New York law. The court held that since the couple resided most of their lives in California which recognized community property rights for married couples regardless of when or where properties were acquired by either spouse during marriage; therefore it would be unjust to apply New York's separate property regime retrospectively on this matter just because they got divorced there later on. Henceforth ruling favored Palmer’s claim over those disputed lands as per Californian law.

In the dissenting opinion for Palmer v. Corning, it was argued that the majority's decision to uphold a law prohibiting non-residents from fishing in New York waters violated the Privileges and Immunities Clause of Article IV of the Constitution. The dissenting justices believed this clause guaranteed citizens of each state equal access to all privileges and immunities offered by any other state, including natural resources such as fish. They contended that while states have rights over their own resources, they cannot discriminate against out-of-state residents who wish to use them. Furthermore, they disagreed with the majority's interpretation that only commercial activities were protected under this clause; instead asserting recreational activities like fishing should also be included. Thus, according to these justices' perspective, New York’s law unfairly discriminated against non-residents and contradicted constitutional principles ensuring equality among U.S citizens regardless of their home state.