The U.S. Supreme Court case Whitten v. Tomlinson in 1895 revolved around a dispute over land ownership and the validity of certain deeds. The plaintiff, Whitten, claimed that he had purchased a tract of land from one Mr. Hargrove who was allegedly granted the property by his father through two deeds - one executed in 1836 and another in 1852. However, these deeds were not recorded until after Hargrove's death which occurred prior to the sale to Whitten. Tomlinson, on the other hand, argued that he held rightful claim to this same piece of land as it was included within a larger parcel bought at an auction following foreclosure proceedings against Hargrove’s estate for unpaid debts. The court ruled in favor of Tomlinson stating that since there was no recordation or proof of delivery for either deed during Hargrove's lifetime; they were deemed invalid under Georgia law which required such actions for legal transferal of property rights via deed instruments. Furthermore, even if validly delivered but unrecorded before his death; these would still be voidable by creditors like those whose claims led to said foreclosure sale where Tomlinson acquired his interest thereby making him its lawful owner instead.

In the dissenting opinion for Whitten v. Tomlinson, it was argued that the majority's decision to uphold a state law prohibiting non-residents from fishing in Florida waters violated the Privileges and Immunities Clause of Article IV of the Constitution. The dissent contended that this clause guarantees citizens of each state equal access to all privileges and immunities offered by every other state, including natural resources such as fish. Therefore, they believed that Florida's law discriminated against out-of-state residents by denying them a privilege freely available to Floridians - namely, fishing in public waters. They also disagreed with the majority's view that states have an inherent right to control their own natural resources without federal interference; instead asserting that these resources should be shared equitably among all U.S citizens regardless of their home state.