The Cayuga was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1871. The case involved a dispute between the Cayuga Indians and the State of New York over the ownership of certain lands. The Cayuga Indians claimed that they had been granted the lands by the state in 1795, and that the state had subsequently taken the lands without their consent. The state argued that the lands had been granted to them by the federal government in 1807, and that the Cayuga had no legal claim to the lands. The Supreme Court ultimately sided with the Cayuga Indians, ruling that the state had taken the lands without the consent of the Cayuga Indians. The Court held that the state had violated the Nonintercourse Act of 1790, which prohibited the transfer of Indian lands without the consent of the Indians. The Court also held that the state had failed to provide the Cayuga with just compensation for the lands, as required by the Fifth Amendment. The Court ordered the state to pay the Cayuga Indians for the lands taken from them.

In The Cayuga, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a treaty between the United States and an Indian tribe constituted a valid contract. The majority opinion held that it did not because Congress had failed to ratify it. Justice Field dissented from this decision, arguing that treaties are contracts which should be enforced by courts of law regardless of congressional ratification. He argued that when two parties enter into a binding agreement, they must abide by its terms unless there is evidence of fraud or misrepresentation on either side. Furthermore, he noted that if treaties were not enforceable in court then Native Americans would have no legal recourse for protecting their rights against government encroachment or abuse. In conclusion, Field asserted that treaties should be treated as any other contract and upheld according to their terms without regard for congressional action or inaction.