Palmer v. Low is a United States Supreme Court case that was decided in 1878. The case involved a dispute between two parties over the ownership of a piece of land in the state of California. The plaintiff, Palmer, claimed that he had purchased the land from the defendant, Low, in 1867. Low, however, argued that he had never sold the land to Palmer and that he still owned it. The Supreme Court ultimately sided with Palmer, ruling that he had acquired the land through a valid purchase. The Court found that Palmer had provided sufficient evidence to prove that he had purchased the land from Low, and that Low had accepted payment for it. The Court also noted that Low had failed to provide any evidence to support his claim that he had not sold the land. As a result, the Court held that Palmer was the rightful owner of the land.

In Palmer v. Low, the United States Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a contract between two parties for the sale of land in California was valid under state law. The majority opinion held that it was not, as there had been no delivery of possession or title to the buyer and thus no consideration had been given by either party. Justice Field dissented from this decision, arguing that although there may have been some technical defects in how the agreement was executed, both parties intended to enter into an enforceable contract and should be allowed to do so if they are willing to abide by its terms. He further argued that even though one party might have received more benefit than another from such an arrangement, this did not necessarily invalidate it since contracts are often made on unequal terms and still remain binding upon all involved.