Twitchell v. The Commonwealth was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1868. The case involved a dispute between the Commonwealth of Virginia and William Twitchell, a former slave who had been emancipated by the Commonwealth. Twitchell had been hired by the Commonwealth to work on a public road, and he was paid for his labor. However, the Commonwealth later refused to pay Twitchell the wages he was owed, claiming that he was not entitled to the wages because he was a former slave. Twitchell argued that he was entitled to the wages he was owed, as he had been hired and paid for his labor. The Supreme Court agreed with Twitchell, ruling that the Commonwealth was obligated to pay him the wages he was owed. The Court held that the Commonwealth could not deny Twitchell his wages simply because he was a former slave, and that the Commonwealth was obligated to pay him the wages he was owed. This ruling established an important precedent that former slaves were entitled to the same rights and protections as any other worker in the United States.

In Twitchell v. The Commonwealth, the Supreme Court of the United States was asked to decide whether a state could constitutionally prohibit an individual from engaging in certain activities without first obtaining a license or permit. In this case, the petitioner had been convicted for operating a ferryboat without having obtained such permission from Virginia's legislature. Justice Field delivered the dissenting opinion and argued that while it is true that states have broad powers to regulate their citizens' conduct, they cannot do so if it violates fundamental rights protected by either federal or state constitutions. He further noted that there was no evidence presented at trial which showed any harm caused by allowing individuals to operate ferries without licenses and thus concluded that Virginia's law violated due process protections under both its own constitution as well as those found in the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S Constitution.