The U.S. Supreme Court case Federal Maritime Board v. Isbrandtsen Company, Inc., et al., 1957 revolved around the issue of whether a foreign-flag carrier could be allowed to compete with American carriers on certain routes under the Shipping Act of 1916 and related laws. The Federal Maritime Board had approved an agreement that would allow a Danish shipping company to carry cargo between U.S. ports and Asian destinations, which was challenged by several American shipping companies led by Isbrandtsen Company, Inc.. They argued that this violated provisions in maritime law designed to protect domestic industry from foreign competition. In its decision, the Supreme Court ruled against the Federal Maritime Board's approval of such agreements without considering their impact on American businesses first. It held that while it is not illegal for foreign carriers to operate in these trades per se, any potential harm caused to domestic interests must be considered before granting them permission.

In the dissenting opinion for Federal Maritime Board v. Isbrandtsen Company, Inc., it was argued that the majority's decision to overturn a ruling by the Federal Maritime Board (FMB) was incorrect and overstepped their authority. The FMB had previously ruled in favor of American flag vessels having preference over foreign-flag ships when both were equally capable of providing service on certain routes. The dissenting justices believed that this policy aligned with Congress' intent to protect and promote U.S.-flag shipping against foreign competition, as reflected in various legislative acts such as Shipping Act 1916 and Merchant Marine Act 1936. They also pointed out that courts should defer to administrative agencies like FMB when they interpret statutes within their expertise area unless there is clear contradiction with statutory language or congressional intent - which wasn't evident here according to them.