In the 1932 case Gant et al. v. Oklahoma City et al., the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of Oklahoma City, upholding its right to enforce zoning laws that restricted certain business operations within city limits. The plaintiffs, Gant and others, were owners of a brickyard located within an area zoned as residential by a city ordinance. They argued that their operation was grandfathered since it predated the zoning law and thus should be exempt from it. However, they had temporarily ceased operations for about two years due to economic conditions before resuming again which led to this dispute with the city authorities who sought to shut them down based on violation of zoning regulations. The court held that even though their operation existed prior to enactment of these regulations, cessation meant they lost any acquired rights under previous non-conforming use exceptions in such cases; hence could not claim immunity from current laws upon resumption. This decision reinforced municipalities' power over local land-use planning through enforcement of zoning ordinances while also clarifying how non-conforming uses are treated under such circumstances.

In the dissenting opinion for Gant et al. v. Oklahoma City et al., Justice Cardozo argued that the majority's decision to uphold a city ordinance prohibiting door-to-door solicitation without prior consent was an overreach of government power and infringed upon individual liberties protected by the Constitution. He contended that such ordinances should be narrowly tailored to protect residents from fraud or annoyance, rather than broadly banning all types of solicitation regardless of their nature or purpose. Furthermore, he expressed concern about how this ruling could potentially limit freedom of speech and religious expression, as it would prevent individuals from sharing information or beliefs with others in their community unless they had received permission beforehand. In his view, this not only violated First Amendment rights but also undermined democratic principles by restricting open communication among citizens.