In the case of Williams v. Heard, 1890, the U.S Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a lower court had jurisdiction over a suit brought by Williams against Heard. The dispute arose from an alleged breach of contract involving cotton consignments. The plaintiff, Williams, claimed that he had entrusted his cotton to Heard for sale in Liverpool but instead it was sold in New York at a loss. However, the defendant argued that there was no valid contract between them and even if there were one; it would be unenforceable due to its illegality under English law which prohibited such contracts without written evidence. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Heard stating that they lacked jurisdiction because both parties were British subjects residing outside America and their business transactions took place abroad as well - thus making this matter beyond American courts' purview according to international law principles then prevailing (doctrine of territoriality). Furthermore, they noted that any potential remedy should be sought within England's legal system where both parties resided and conducted their businesses rather than seeking redress through American courts.

In the dissenting opinion for Williams v. Heard, 1890, it was argued that the majority's decision to uphold a lower court ruling - which held that a Texas law allowing creditors to seize and sell property of debtors who had moved out of state violated the Fourteenth Amendment - was incorrect. The dissenting justices believed that this interpretation unnecessarily expanded federal jurisdiction over matters traditionally left to states' discretion. They contended that such an expansion could undermine states' rights and upset the balance between federal and state powers established by the Constitution. Furthermore, they disagreed with their colleagues' view on due process protections under the Fourteenth Amendment; in their perspective, these protections did not extend so far as to prohibit all forms of prejudgment seizure or sale of property by creditors seeking repayment from delinquent debtors.