In the case of Sexton v. California in 1902, the U.S Supreme Court ruled on a dispute regarding land ownership. The plaintiff, Sexton, claimed that he had purchased a piece of property from an individual who had obtained it through preemption rights under federal law. However, this was disputed by the state of California which argued that it owned all swamp and overflow lands within its borders due to legislation passed by Congress in 1850 granting such lands to states for reclamation purposes. The court sided with California stating that even though there were errors made during surveying processes which initially failed to identify these lands as swampland; once they were correctly identified as such later on - they fell under state jurisdiction according to Congressional act regardless of any previous private claims or sales transactions involving those properties. Therefore, Sexton's claim was denied and ownership remained with the state.

In the dissenting opinion for Sexton v. California, it was argued that the defendant's constitutional rights were violated due to a lack of proper legal representation during his trial. The dissenting justices believed that Mr. Sexton did not receive a fair trial because he was denied counsel at critical stages of his case, including when he pleaded guilty and during sentencing. They contended that this denial contravened the Sixth Amendment right to counsel in all criminal prosecutions, which is fundamental to ensuring fairness in our justice system. Furthermore, they disagreed with the majority's interpretation of 'critical stage', arguing instead that any proceeding where substantial rights could be affected should be considered as such - thus requiring legal representation for defendants like Mr.Sexton.