Whitney v. Wyman was a United States Supreme Court case that addressed the issue of whether a state could constitutionally require a person to pay a debt before they could vote. The case was brought by a man named William Whitney, who had been denied the right to vote in the state of New Hampshire because he had not paid a debt he owed to the state. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Whitney, finding that the state's requirement was unconstitutional. The Court held that the right to vote was a fundamental right, and that the state could not impose a condition on the exercise of that right. The Court also noted that the state had not provided any evidence that the debt was related to any criminal activity, and that the state had not provided any other reasonable justification for the requirement. The Court's decision in Whitney v. Wyman established that the right to vote is a fundamental right, and that states cannot impose conditions on the exercise of that right. This decision has been cited in numerous cases since, and has been used to protect the right to vote from unreasonable restrictions.

In Whitney v. Wyman, the United States Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a contract between two parties could be enforced in court despite one of the parties having died before it was completed. The majority opinion held that since there had been no consideration given by either party and thus no binding agreement, the contract could not be enforced. Justice Field dissented from this decision, arguing that although there had been no consideration exchanged between the two parties prior to death, an implied promise existed which should have allowed for enforcement of the contract in court. He further argued that if such contracts were not enforceable then individuals would lack incentive to enter into agreements with those who are elderly or ill as they may die before completion of any contractual obligations and their estate would receive nothing in return for services rendered or goods delivered.