In the case of Stoffela v. Nugent in 1909, the U.S Supreme Court dealt with a dispute over land ownership rights. The plaintiff, Stoffela, claimed that he had acquired title to certain lands through purchase from an Indian named Antonio who was part of Pueblo tribe in New Mexico. However, the defendant Nugent asserted his own claim on these lands based on a grant issued by Congress to him and other settlers under an act passed in 1891 for settling land disputes between Indians and non-Indians. The court ruled against Stoffela's claim stating that Antonio did not have any legal right or authority to sell those lands as they were held collectively by all members of his tribe rather than individually owned by him. Furthermore, it was noted that even if Antonio had individual ownership rights over those lands (which he didn't), such sale would still be invalid without approval from federal government according to existing laws governing transactions involving Indian-owned properties. Therefore, this case established important precedents regarding property rights within tribal territories and reinforced federal oversight over transactions involving Native American-owned properties.

In the dissenting opinion for Stoffela v. Nugent, it was argued that the majority's decision to uphold a lower court ruling - which denied an inheritance claim by children of a deceased man on grounds they were illegitimate - was unjust and inconsistent with established legal principles. The dissenting justices contended that the law should not punish children for their parents' actions or circumstances beyond their control, such as being born out of wedlock. They also pointed out inconsistencies in how different states treated issues related to legitimacy and inheritance rights, arguing this created unnecessary confusion and unfairness. Furthermore, they disagreed with the majority's interpretation of relevant statutes and case law, asserting these supported recognizing all biological children as legitimate heirs regardless of marital status at birth time.