In the United States v. Oregon Lumber Company et al., 1922, the Supreme Court ruled on a dispute over land ownership between the federal government and private entities. The case centered around whether or not certain lands in Oregon had been correctly classified as "indemnity lands" under an 1869 Act of Congress, which allowed for their sale to private parties if they were deemed unfit for cultivation due to stone or timber content. The court found that these classifications had been made erroneously by surveyors who misinterpreted instructions from the General Land Office (GLO). As such, it was determined that these sales were invalid and that title to this land remained with the U.S. Government rather than passing into private hands through purchase from railroad companies who initially acquired them from GLO. This decision underscored how crucial accurate surveys are in determining rightful property ownership.

The dissenting opinion in the case of United States v. Oregon Lumber Company et al., 1922, argued that the majority's decision to allow the federal government to reclaim land fraudulently obtained by a lumber company was incorrect. The dissenters believed that since the government had initially granted patents for these lands without any reservations or conditions, it could not later impose new terms on those grants retroactively. They also pointed out that there were no allegations or evidence suggesting that the original patentees themselves were involved in fraudulent activities when they acquired these lands from other parties who had previously received them from the government. Therefore, according to this view, it would be unjust and against established legal principles to penalize current owners for past wrongs committed by others before their acquisition of these properties.