The Dred Scott retrial of 1850 concluded that because they had previously resided in a free territory, Dred Scott and his wife Harriet had a right to be freed from slavery.
This 1850 verdict is different from the first trial held following this lawsuit. In 1847, after the Scotts had first sued their owner for freedom, the Missouri Circuit Court ruled that they were still slaves. The Scotts therefore asked for a second hearing in 1850, and won, but later lost the following trials when their owner appealed to higher courts.