The U.S. Supreme Court case Donovan, Secretary of Labor v. Dewey et al., 1980 revolved around the interpretation of a provision in the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act (FMSHA) that allowed for warrantless inspections of mines. The court had to decide whether this provision violated the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. The respondents, operators of stone quarries, argued that their operations should not be subject to such inspections because they were non-coal mines which did not pose as much danger as coal mines. In its decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Donovan by a vote of 6-3 stating that these warrantless inspections did not violate the Fourth Amendment rights since mining operations are closely regulated industries where expectations for privacy are significantly reduced due to pervasive regulations set forth by FMSHA. Furthermore, it was noted that regular unannounced safety checks were necessary given potential hazards associated with mining industry regardless if it is coal or non-coal mine.

In the dissenting opinion for Donovan v. Dewey, Justice Brennan argued that the majority's interpretation of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act was too narrow. He contended that Congress intended to give inspectors broad authority to enter mines at reasonable times without a warrant in order to ensure worker safety. The majority's decision, he believed, undermined this intent by requiring specific evidence of an existing violation before an inspection could occur. This would make it more difficult for inspectors to prevent accidents and enforce safety standards because they would not be able to conduct surprise inspections or investigate potential hazards unless they already had proof of a violation. In his view, this approach did not sufficiently protect miners' health and safety as intended by Congress when it passed the Act.