In the case of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Wyoming et al., 1982, the U.S. Supreme Court was asked to determine whether Congress had overstepped its bounds by applying age discrimination laws to state and local governments. The State of Wyoming argued that this application violated principles of federalism under the Tenth Amendment, which reserves unspecified powers for state governments. However, in a unanimous decision delivered by Justice Thurgood Marshall, the court held that Congress did have authority under Section 5 of Fourteenth Amendment to regulate employment practices at both private and public levels as it pertains to age discrimination. This ruling affirmed that Congress could enact legislation like Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) when they believe older citizens are being deprived equal protection due their age.

In the dissenting opinion for EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION v. WYOMING et al., Justice Powell, joined by Chief Justice Burger and Justice Rehnquist, argued that Congress overstepped its bounds in applying the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) to state and local governments. They contended that this was a violation of federalism principles as it intruded on states' rights to make decisions about their own workforce. The dissenters believed there was insufficient evidence of age discrimination at the state level to justify such intrusion by Congress into an area traditionally controlled by states. Furthermore, they disagreed with the majority's interpretation of Section 5 of Fourteenth Amendment which grants Congress enforcement powers; they held that these powers should be used only when there is clear proof of constitutional violations or if remedies are tailored specifically towards preventing future violations.