In the case of White v. Butler, 1897, the United States Supreme Court dealt with a dispute over land ownership in Mississippi. The plaintiff, White, claimed that he had purchased several parcels of land from an individual who had acquired it through a tax sale conducted by the state. However, Butler contested this claim on grounds that his ancestors were original owners and they never legally transferred or sold their rights to anyone else. The court ruled in favor of Butler stating that under Mississippi law at the time when these lands were allegedly sold for taxes (1865-1870), no valid title could be passed via such sales because there was no provision allowing for redemption by original owner after tax sale as required by due process clause of Fourteenth Amendment to U.S Constitution. Therefore, any subsequent purchases based on those invalid titles would also be voided.

The dissenting opinion in the case of WHITE v. BUTLER argued that the majority's decision to uphold a Mississippi law requiring racial segregation on trains was incorrect and inconsistent with previous rulings by the Supreme Court. The dissenters believed that this ruling violated both the Equal Protection Clause and Commerce Clause of the Constitution, as it imposed an undue burden on interstate commerce by forcing railroads to provide separate cars for black passengers traveling across state lines. They also contended that such laws were inherently discriminatory, as they treated African American citizens differently based solely on their race, thus denying them equal protection under law. Furthermore, they pointed out inconsistencies between this ruling and earlier decisions which had struck down similar laws in other states.