The U.S. Supreme Court case Pardee v. Aldridge in 1902 revolved around a dispute over land ownership and mineral rights in the state of Colorado. The plaintiff, Pardee, claimed that he had acquired title to certain mining properties through tax deeds issued by the county treasurer after taxes on those lands were not paid by their original owner, Aldridge. However, Aldridge argued that his failure to pay taxes was due to an error made by local officials who failed to properly assess the property's value for taxation purposes. The court ruled in favor of Aldridge stating that while it is true that non-payment of taxes can lead to forfeiture of property rights under Colorado law; such forfeiture cannot occur if there has been no proper assessment or levy made against the property as required by law. Therefore, since there was evidence showing irregularities and errors committed during the assessment process which led to a lack of proper notice given about unpaid taxes - this meant that any subsequent sale based on these flawed proceedings would be invalid. This decision reaffirmed principles regarding due process and fair treatment under law when it comes to matters involving potential loss or deprivation of private property rights.

In the dissenting opinion for Pardee v. Aldridge, Justice Harlan argued that the majority's decision was inconsistent with previous rulings of the court and violated principles of equity. He contended that a patentee who has not used his invention within a reasonable time after its patent is granted should not be allowed to sue others for infringement if they independently discover and use it. In this case, he believed that Aldridge had made an independent discovery of the patented process without knowledge or use of Pardee's invention which had remained unused for several years after its patent grant. Therefore, according to him, Aldridge should have been protected from liability under principles of equity rather than being penalized as per majority’s ruling.