The U.S. Supreme Court case Federal Communications Commission v. WJR, The Goodwill Station, Inc., et al., in 1948 revolved around the allocation of radio frequencies by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC had reassigned certain frequencies to balance out clear and local channels across different regions. This reassignment led to a reduction in coverage for some stations including WJR, which filed a lawsuit against the FCC claiming that it exceeded its authority under the Communications Act of 1934. However, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of FCC stating that it was within their power to make such changes as they were aimed at public convenience or interest. Furthermore, while acknowledging potential losses for individual broadcasters due to these changes; it emphasized on prioritizing overall public interest over private interests.

The dissenting opinion in the case of Federal Communications Commission v. WJR, The Goodwill Station, Inc., et al., argued that the majority's decision to uphold the FCC's order was an overreach of power and violated principles of administrative law. They contended that while Congress had given the FCC authority to regulate radio frequencies, it did not grant them unlimited discretion to do so without any standards or guidelines. In this particular case, they believed that there were no clear reasons for why certain stations were granted more favorable treatment than others by being allowed higher power levels and better frequency assignments. This lack of transparency raised concerns about arbitrary action on part of the agency which could potentially infrive upon broadcasters' rights under due process clause as well as free speech protections guaranteed by First Amendment.