In the case of Tiller, Executor v. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Co., 1944, the U.S Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a railroad company could be held liable for damages under Virginia's wrongful death statute when an employee died as a result of negligence on part of the employer. The deceased had been working in North Carolina at the time but his contract was made in Virginia and he resided there too. The court ruled that while federal law applied to issues regarding liability and damages due to it being an interstate commerce matter, state law determined who were rightful claimants under wrongful death statutes. In this case, since both states allowed for executors or administrators to sue for wrongful deaths caused by negligence, it did not matter where Mr.Tiller’s employment contract originated from or where he lived; what mattered is where his injury occurred - which was North Carolina.

In the dissenting opinion for Tiller v. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Co., Justice Robert H. Jackson argued that the majority's decision to allow a state court to interpret federal law in this case was an abdication of the Supreme Court's responsibility and authority under Article III of the Constitution. He contended that it is not within a state court’s jurisdiction to decide on matters involving interpretation or application of federal laws, as these are exclusively reserved for federal courts. Furthermore, he expressed concern about potential inconsistencies arising from different interpretations by various states which could undermine uniformity in applying national laws across all states - one of the key reasons why such cases should be decided at a federal level according to him.