In the case of Taylor v. Columbian University (now known as George Washington University), 1912, the plaintiff, Mr. Taylor, sued the university for breach of contract after he was dismissed from his position at the institution without any given reason or notice period. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Mr. Taylor stating that a professor's employment is not terminable at will and requires just cause for dismissal under contractual law principles unless otherwise specified in their contract terms. This decision set an important precedent regarding academic tenure and job security within educational institutions across America.

The dissenting opinion in the case of Taylor v. Columbian University (now known as George Washington University) argued that the university was not liable for damages after a student, Taylor, injured himself while conducting an experiment unsupervised. The justice held that when students voluntarily engage in potentially dangerous activities without supervision or instruction from their professors, they assume all risks associated with those activities. Therefore, it is unreasonable to hold universities responsible for injuries resulting from such actions because they cannot possibly supervise every action taken by each student on campus at all times. Furthermore, the justice believed that this ruling could set a dangerous precedent where universities would be forced to limit educational opportunities due to fear of potential lawsuits.