In the 1905 case of Rodriguez v. Vivoni, the U.S Supreme Court ruled on a dispute involving property rights in Puerto Rico. The plaintiff, Rodriguez, claimed that he had purchased land from its original owner and was therefore entitled to it. However, the defendant, Vivoni argued that he had bought the same piece of land at an auction held by local authorities due to unpaid taxes by the previous owner. The lower court sided with Vivoni but upon appeal to higher courts including Puerto Rico's Supreme Court which affirmed this decision; Rodriguez took his case all way up to US Supreme Court. The main issue before justices was whether or not tax sales conducted under Spanish law (which governed Puerto Rico prior American acquisition) were valid under American law as well. In their ruling delivered by Justice Edward Douglass White Jr., they upheld decisions made by lower courts stating that such sales were indeed legal and binding even after change in sovereignty because there wasn't any legislation enacted specifically invalidating them post-acquisition. Therefore, they concluded that since no laws were broken during sale process and considering fact it occurred before transfer of power from Spain to United States; ownership rightfully belonged to defendant - Mr.Vivoni who acquired said property through public auction due tax delinquency.

In the dissenting opinion for Rodriguez v. Vivoni, it was argued that the majority's decision to uphold a Puerto Rican law prohibiting non-residents from inheriting property was inconsistent with U.S. constitutional principles and precedent. The dissent contended that this ruling violated equal protection rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment, as it discriminated against individuals based solely on their residency status. Furthermore, they believed that such laws were contrary to public policy and could potentially lead to unjust outcomes if applied broadly or indiscriminately in other contexts or jurisdictions within the United States.