In the case of White v. United States in 1915, the Supreme Court ruled on a matter involving land ownership and inheritance laws within Native American tribes. The plaintiff, William White, was an enrolled member of the Choctaw tribe who inherited allotments of tribal lands from his parents under provisions set by Congress to distribute communal tribal lands among individual members. After his mother's death, he sold some parcels but later claimed that these sales were invalid due to restrictions against alienation (sale or transfer) without approval from federal authorities as per Congressional acts related to such transactions. The court held that while there were indeed restrictions on selling allotted Indian lands without government consent during the lifetime of original allottees (those initially granted land), these did not extend beyond their deaths. Therefore, heirs like White could freely sell their inherited property without needing any official permission. This decision underscored how U.S law viewed Native American tribes' sovereignty and rights over their own territories at this time - recognizing them only up until they conflicted with broader federal interests or policies.

In the dissenting opinion for White v. United States, Justice Holmes argued that the defendant's conviction should be overturned because it was based on evidence obtained through an illegal search and seizure. He contended that the Fourth Amendment protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures, which includes protection of their private correspondence. In this case, letters were seized without a warrant or probable cause to believe they contained evidence of a crime. The majority upheld the conviction by arguing that there is no constitutional right to use mail for criminal purposes; however, Holmes countered this by stating that while using mail for criminal activities is not protected under law, privacy in one’s personal correspondences is indeed constitutionally protected regardless of its content or purpose.