Shreveport v. Cole was a case heard by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1935. The case involved a dispute between the City of Shreveport, Louisiana and the Cole family over the ownership of a piece of property. The City of Shreveport had acquired the property through a tax sale and the Cole family argued that the tax sale was invalid because the taxes had been paid prior to the sale. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the City of Shreveport, finding that the tax sale was valid and that the City had acquired the property in good faith. The Court held that the City was not required to investigate the validity of the tax sale and that the Cole family had failed to prove that the taxes had been paid prior to the sale. The Court also held that the City was not liable for any damages caused by the tax sale. The decision in Shreveport v. Cole established the principle that a municipality is not liable for damages caused by a tax sale, even if the taxes had been paid prior to the sale. This decision has been cited in numerous cases since then and has been used to protect municipalities from liability for tax sales.

In the Supreme Court case of Shreveport v. Cole, Justice Black delivered a dissenting opinion in which he argued that the city of Shreveport had not been given due process and was denied its right to be heard on the matter. He argued that it was wrong for the court to decide this case without allowing Shreveport an opportunity to present evidence or make arguments regarding their position. Furthermore, Justice Black noted that there were factual disputes between both parties as well as questions about whether certain laws applied in this situation; thus, these matters should have been decided by a jury rather than by judges who did not have all of the facts before them. Ultimately, Justice Black concluded that since no hearing had taken place prior to deciding this case, justice could not be served and therefore he dissented from his colleagues’ decision.