The states that formed the Confederate States of America during the Civil War never actually left the Union because a state cannot unilaterally secede from the United States. Decided April 12, 1869 (argued February 5, 1869). Opinion of the Court: Salmon P. Chase → go there Dissenting: Grier. Topic: Federalism. Texas v. White, 74 U.S. 700 (1869), was a case argued before the Supreme Court of the United States in 1869. The case's notable political dispute involved a claim by the Reconstruction era government of Texas that U.S. bonds owned by Texas since 1850 had been illegally sold by the Confederate state legislature during the American Civil War. The state filed suit in the U.S. Supreme Court, given that, under the Constitution, that institution has original jurisdiction on certain cases in which a state is a party. Wiki link