When the cases in volume 106 U.S. were decided the Court comprised the following nine members: In United States v. Lee, 106 U.S. 196 (1882), the Supreme Court held that the Constitution's prohibition on lawsuits against the federal government did not extend to officers of the government themselves.

The case involved the heir of Mary Anna Custis Lee, wife of Confederate States of America General Robert E. Lee, who sued to regain control of Arlington House and its grounds.

This ruling was rejected by the Supreme Court in 1964 in McLaughlin v. Florida and in 1967 in Loving v. Virginia.

In United States v. Harris, 106 U.S. 629 (1883) the Supreme Court held it unconstitutional for the federal government to penalize crimes such as assault and murder in most circumstances.

In the specific case, four men were removed from a Crockett County, Tennessee, jail by a group led by Sheriff R.G.