The United States Supreme Court case, UNITED STATES v. COLORADO ANTHRACITE CO., 1911, revolved around a dispute over land ownership and mineral rights in Colorado. The U.S government sued the Colorado Anthracite Company claiming that it had wrongfully obtained title to certain lands rich in coal deposits which rightfully belonged to the public domain under federal law. The company countered this claim by arguing that they legally acquired these lands through preemption laws (laws allowing individuals who first develop or inhabit a piece of land to purchase it from the government). However, after examining evidence presented by both parties, including historical records and legal documents related to these lands' acquisition process, the court ruled in favor of the U.S government. It held that these specific parcels were never available for private acquisition because they were reserved for public use due their valuable coal deposits; hence any titles granted previously were null and void.

The dissenting opinion in the case of United States v. Colorado Anthracite Co., 1911, argued that the majority's decision to uphold a lower court ruling against the defendant was incorrect. The dissent maintained that there was insufficient evidence to prove that the defendant had knowingly and willfully violated federal law by failing to pay royalties on coal mined from public lands. Furthermore, it contended that even if such violations did occur, they were not substantial enough to warrant punitive action by the government. The dissent also criticized what it saw as an overly broad interpretation of federal statutes governing mining operations on public lands, arguing this could potentially stifle economic development and infringe upon states' rights.