In the case of Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Company v. Devine, Administrator of Mason (1915), the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of the railway company. The dispute arose after a train accident that resulted in the death of an employee named Mason. His administrator, Devine, sued for damages under Iowa state law and won at both trial court and appellate level. However, on appeal to the Supreme Court by the railway company it was argued that federal law should apply as interstate commerce was involved - specifically citing Federal Employers' Liability Act which limits liability compared to state laws. The Supreme Court agreed with this argument stating that when a worker is engaged in interstate commerce at time of injury or death then federal law applies regardless if they were temporarily doing intrastate work during their shift. This ruling effectively limited potential damage awards against railroad companies operating across states lines.

In the dissenting opinion for the case of Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Company v. Devine, it was argued that the railway company should not be held liable for damages resulting from a collision between one of its trains and a vehicle at a crossing. The dissenting justices believed that there was insufficient evidence to prove negligence on part of the train's crew or any failure in duty by them which could have prevented this accident. They pointed out that even though an automatic bell warning system had been installed at this particular crossing, it did not absolve drivers from their responsibility to ensure safety before proceeding across tracks. Furthermore, they contended that if every railroad crossing were required to have such warning devices and railroads were made responsible for all accidents occurring there regardless of circumstances or fault, it would place an undue burden on railway companies and potentially lead to unjust outcomes.