In the case of Goltra v. Weeks, Secretary of War et al., 1925, the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of William P. Goltra who had leased several barges to the United States during World War I for use on inland waterways. After the war ended, instead of returning them as per their agreement, they were sold by government officials without his consent or knowledge and he was not compensated for it either. The court held that this action constituted a breach of contract and an illegal seizure under Fifth Amendment protections against taking private property without just compensation. Therefore, Mr.Goltra was entitled to recover damages from those sales made by government officials.

In the dissenting opinion for Goltra v. Weeks, it was argued that the Secretary of War and Chief of Engineers did not have authority to terminate a contract with Goltra's company without providing compensation. The dissenters believed that Congress had only given these officials power to make contracts, but not break them unilaterally. They also pointed out that there were no provisions in the contract allowing termination without payment or any misconduct on part of Goltra’s company which would justify such action. Therefore, they concluded that this decision violated Fifth Amendment rights against taking private property for public use without just compensation.