The United States brought an appeal against the widow and heirs of Marcus West, deceased. The case revolved around a dispute over land in Mississippi that had been granted to West by the Choctaw Indians under a treaty with the United States. The Supreme Court held that although Congress had not ratified this particular treaty, it was still binding on both parties because it was made in good faith and relied upon by both sides for many years before being challenged. Furthermore, since there were no objections raised when West took possession of his property or when he died leaving his heirs as owners of said property, they could not be deprived of their rights without due process. Therefore, the court ruled in favor of Mrs. West and her children who inherited her husband's estate after his death.

In the United States v. The Widow and Heirs of Marcus West, Deceased, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a federal statute that allowed for the recovery of money paid by mistake applied in this case. The majority opinion held that it did not apply because there had been no payment made by mistake or fraud on behalf of the government. However, Justice Grier dissented from this decision and argued that even though there may have been no actual fraud or mistake committed by either party in making payments under an invalid contract, if one party received more than they were entitled to receive then they should be required to return those funds as restitution. Furthermore, he argued that since Congress had authorized such recoveries through statutes like these then it would be wrong for courts to deny them when appropriate circumstances presented themselves.