United States v. Sioux City and Pacific Railroad Company was a United States Supreme Court case that dealt with the issue of whether the United States had the right to take possession of a railroad that had been built on land granted to the Sioux Indians by the United States government. The Court held that the United States had the right to take possession of the railroad, as the land had been granted to the Sioux Indians by the United States government, and the railroad had been built on that land without the consent of the United States government. The Court also held that the United States had the right to take possession of the railroad, as the Sioux Indians had not been compensated for the use of their land. The Court further held that the United States had the right to take possession of the railroad, as the Sioux Indians had not been consulted about the construction of the railroad. Finally, the Court held that the United States had the right to take possession of the railroad, as the Sioux Indians had not been given the opportunity to negotiate the terms of the construction of the railroad.

In United States v. Sioux City and Pacific Railroad Company, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether or not a certain section of railroad track owned by the defendant had been lawfully granted to them under an act of Congress. The majority opinion held that it had not been so granted, but Justice Field dissented from this decision. He argued that while there were some technical issues with how the grant was made, these did not invalidate its legality as they could have easily been remedied if necessary. Furthermore, he noted that even though Congress may have intended for something else when passing the act in question, their intent should be interpreted liberally in order to uphold grants like this one which would otherwise be rendered void due to minor errors or omissions on behalf of those involved in making it happen.