In the United States Supreme Court case of The United States v. Thomas Gibbes Morgan, Thomas W. Chinn, Micajah Courtney, Josiah Barker and the Heirs and Legal Representatives of John Davenport (hereinafter referred to as “the defendants”), the issue at hand was whether or not a certain tract of land in Alabama belonged to the state or to private individuals who had purchased it from Native Americans prior to its admission into the Union. At stake were title deeds that had been issued by two different Indian tribes for lands located within what is now known as Montgomery County in Alabama. The plaintiffs argued that these titles were invalid because they had been obtained without proper authorization from Congress; however, after much deliberation on both sides, it was ultimately determined that these titles did indeed hold legal validity due to their having been acquired before Alabama became a state and thus being exempt from federal law regarding such matters. As such, this ruling established an important precedent for future cases involving similar issues concerning tribal land rights throughout America's history

In the dissenting opinion of this case, Justice McLean argued that the United States had no right to bring suit against Thomas Gibbes Morgan and his co-defendants. He reasoned that since they were not parties to the original contract between John Davenport and the government, they could not be held liable for any breach of it. Furthermore, he noted that even if there was a breach by Davenport in failing to fulfill his obligations under the contract, such a claim would need to be brought against him directly or his legal representatives as opposed to bringing suit against third parties who had nothing whatsoever do with it. In conclusion, Justice McLean believed that allowing such an action would set a dangerous precedent which should not be allowed in this instance.