In the case of White v. Johnson et al., 1930, the United States Supreme Court ruled on a dispute involving land ownership and inheritance laws in Mississippi. The plaintiff, Mrs. White, was contesting her late husband's will which left most of his estate to his children from a previous marriage instead of to her as per state law at that time. She argued that she should have received half of his property upon his death according to Mississippi’s descent and distribution statutes since they were married when he died. The defendants (Mr. White's children) countered by stating their father had acquired most of this property before marrying Mrs. White; therefore it wasn't part of their marital assets subject to division under these laws. The court sided with the defendants ruling that only property acquired during marriage is considered for division among surviving spouses and descendants under Mississippi law - not those obtained prior to it unless explicitly stated otherwise in a legal agreement or will.

In the dissenting opinion for White v. Johnson, it was argued that the majority's decision to uphold a Mississippi law prohibiting interracial marriage violated both due process and equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment. The dissenters contended that this law was discriminatory in nature as it only applied to marriages between white individuals and those of African descent while allowing other racial combinations. They also pointed out inconsistencies with how states defined 'race', making enforcement arbitrary and unfair. Furthermore, they believed such laws were based on outdated beliefs about racial superiority which had no place in modern society or legal systems. Lastly, they felt these laws interfered with personal freedoms by dictating who an individual could marry based solely on race.