In the case of Thompson v. Ferry in 1900, the US Supreme Court dealt with a dispute over land ownership and mineral rights. The plaintiff, Thompson, claimed that he had purchased land from the defendant's father before his death but never received a deed for it. After his father's death, Ferry took possession of the property and began mining operations on it without compensating Thompson for any minerals extracted from it. The court ruled in favor of Ferry based on Michigan law which stated that if someone possessed and used a piece of property openly and continuously for fifteen years or more without protest from anyone else claiming to own it then they were considered its legal owner regardless whether they held an actual deed to the property or not. Since there was no evidence presented showing that Thompson ever protested against Ferry’s use of this land during all these years nor did anything himself to assert his alleged ownership rights over this same period time; therefore under Michigan law as interpreted by U.S Supreme Court here - Mr.Ferry became rightful owner through what is known legally as "adverse possession".

In the dissenting opinion for Thompson v. Ferry, Justice Harlan argued that the majority's decision was a departure from established principles of constitutional law and an unwarranted intrusion into state affairs. He contended that it is not within the jurisdiction of federal courts to interfere with or control state legislation unless such laws are in direct conflict with the U.S Constitution or federal laws. In this case, he believed there was no such conflict present. Furthermore, he asserted that states have inherent power to regulate their internal commerce as long as they do not infringe upon any express provision of the constitution or violate rights secured by it. Therefore, Michigan had every right to enact its own regulations regarding ferry services across waters entirely within its boundaries without interference from federal authorities.