The U.S. Supreme Court case Texas & New Orleans Railroad Company v. The Northside Belt Railway Company in 1927 revolved around a dispute between two railway companies over the use of tracks and facilities in Houston, Texas. The conflict arose when the Northside Belt Railway Company (NBRC) claimed that it had exclusive rights to certain trackage based on an agreement made with another railroad company which was later acquired by the Texas & New Orleans Railroad Company (T&NO). T&NO argued that NBRC's claim was invalid as they were not party to this original agreement and therefore could not be bound by its terms. The court ruled in favor of T&NO, stating that while NBRC did have some rights under their contract with the previous rail company, these did not extend to exclusivity or prevent other companies from using shared facilities.

In the dissenting opinion for Texas & New Orleans Railroad Company v. The Northside Belt Railway Company, it was argued that the majority's decision to uphold a state court ruling in favor of Northside Belt Railway was incorrect. The dissenting justices believed that there were significant issues with how the original trial had been conducted, particularly regarding evidence and witness testimonies. They felt these problems undermined the validity of the verdict and therefore should have led to a reversal or retrial at federal level. Furthermore, they disagreed with their colleagues' interpretation of certain legal principles related to property rights and contracts which formed part of this complex case involving railway companies' use of land for tracks. In essence, they contended that Texas & New Orleans Railroad had not received fair treatment under law due to procedural errors and misinterpretations by both lower courts.