 When the case came to the Supreme Court, the government was represented by both Solicitor General Henry M. Hoyt and Attorney General William H. Moody.Shipp's attorneys argued that the Supreme Court was not competent to hear the case, as it was now a party to the case in that it was involved in the action as a plaintiff rather than as a court.In a decision written by Justice Holmes, the court held that it was not a party in any sense that would create a conflict of interest, as members of the court were not affected by Shipp's actions in any way "in their persons" (Shipp's actions were not a threat to the justices personally but to their ruling and the authority of the court) and so they were not "interested parties" in any sense that would affect their competence with regard to the case.