In the United States Supreme Court case of The United States v. Thomas Staats, Junior, the plaintiff argued that Staats had unlawfully entered into a contract with an Indian tribe in violation of federal law. Specifically, they alleged that he had contracted to purchase land from them without obtaining permission from Congress or paying for it as required by law. In response, Staats argued that his actions were not illegal because he was acting on behalf of another individual who did have authority to make such purchases and therefore could not be held liable for any wrongdoing himself. Ultimately, however, the court found in favor of the plaintiff and ruled against Staats due to his failure to comply with federal laws regarding purchasing land from Native American tribes.

In the case of The United States v. Thomas Staats, Junior, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether or not a certain tract of land in Alabama belonged to the defendant or to the government. The majority opinion held that it belonged to Staats and that he had acquired it through legal means; however, Justice McLean dissented from this decision. He argued that although Staats may have been able to prove his title on paper, there were still questions as to how he obtained possession of said land and if any fraud was involved in its acquisition. Furthermore, McLean noted that since no one else had ever claimed ownership over this particular parcel before 1835 when Staat's claim began (and even then only by virtue of an Indian treaty), it seemed unlikely for him alone among all others who lived near this area at different times throughout history would be able to establish such a valid claim without some form of deception being involved somewhere along the way. Thus Justice McLean concluded his dissent by asserting that while there might be evidence supporting Statt's title on paper, further investigation into how exactly he came into possession should have taken place prior to rendering judgment in favor of him rather than against him as done by majority opinion.