In the case of Williams, Chief, et al. v. City of Chicago et al., 1916, the U.S Supreme Court dealt with a dispute over land ownership in Illinois between Native American tribes and the city of Chicago. The plaintiffs were chiefs representing various tribes who claimed that they had never legally ceded their lands to the United States government and therefore still held title to them. They argued that treaties signed by their ancestors were invalid because they did not fully understand what they were signing due to language barriers and lack of legal representation. The court ruled against the plaintiffs on two grounds: firstly, it found no evidence supporting claims that tribal leaders didn't understand what they were agreeing upon when signing treaties; secondly, it stated even if such misunderstanding existed at some point in history - which was not proven - any claim based on this would be barred by laches (a doctrine preventing someone from waiting too long before making a legal claim). Thus, according to this ruling, Native American tribes could not reclaim lands once ceded via treaty unless there was clear proof these agreements had been entered into under duress or fraudulently.

In the dissenting opinion for Williams, Chief, et al. v. City of Chicago et al., Justice Holmes disagreed with the majority's decision to uphold a city ordinance that allowed police officers to arrest individuals who were unable to give a "good account" of themselves when stopped by law enforcement. He argued that this ordinance was too vague and gave too much discretion to individual officers in determining what constituted a "good account." This could potentially lead to abuses of power and violations of citizens' rights under the Fourteenth Amendment due its potential arbitrary application. Furthermore, he contended that it is not within an officer’s purview or expertise to determine whether someone can provide an adequate explanation for their actions or presence in public spaces; such determinations should be left up to courts instead.