The U.S. Supreme Court case Consumer Product Safety Commission et al. v. GTE Sylvania, Inc., et al., 1979 revolved around the interpretation of section 6(b)(1) of the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA). The dispute arose when the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released information about hazardous television models produced by GTE Sylvania without abiding by procedures outlined in section 6(b)(1), which requires reasonable efforts to assure accuracy and fairness in disclosing information that could harm a manufacturer's reputation. The CPSC argued that this provision only applied when it acted on its own initiative, not when responding to public requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). However, the Supreme Court disagreed with this interpretation and ruled in favor of GTE Sylvania. It held that Section 6(b)(1) applies regardless whether disclosure is initiated by CPSC or as a result of FOIA request; thus requiring CPSC to take reasonable steps to ensure accuracy and fairness before releasing potentially harmful product safety data.

In the dissenting opinion for Consumer Product Safety Commission et al. v. GTE Sylvania, Inc., et al., Justice Brennan argued that the majority's interpretation of Section 6(b)(1) of the Consumer Product Safety Act was too narrow and inconsistent with Congress' intent to protect consumers from unsafe products. He believed that this section should be interpreted as allowing public disclosure of product hazards without requiring prior notice or opportunity for manufacturer comment if such action is necessary to protect public health and safety. Furthermore, he disagreed with the majority's view that a formal adjudicative proceeding must precede any release of information implicating a specific product or manufacturer in order to satisfy due process requirements under Fifth Amendment rights. Instead, he contended that procedural safeguards already exist within administrative processes which adequately ensure fairness towards manufacturers while also prioritizing consumer protection.