The Silverthorne Lumber Company, Inc. v. United States case in 1919 was a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that established the "fruit of the poisonous tree" doctrine within American criminal law. The federal government had illegally seized documents from Silverthorne Lumber Co., and used those to develop further evidence against them for tax evasion charges. The court ruled unanimously in favor of Silverthorne, stating that any evidence obtained through illegal means is not admissible in court, including any additional evidence derived or developed from it (the 'fruit'). This ruling reinforced Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures, setting an important precedent for future cases concerning unlawful search procedures and evidentiary rules.

The dissenting opinion in the Silverthorne Lumber Company, Inc. v. United States case is not available as it was a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court. In this 1919 case, the court held that any evidence obtained through illegal means cannot be used in a federal criminal trial, establishing what came to be known as "fruit of the poisonous tree" doctrine. The ruling emphasized that allowing such evidence would encourage law enforcement authorities to disregard constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.