In Heckler, Secretary of Health and Human Services v. Day et al., the Supreme Court ruled on a case involving disability benefits under the Social Security Act. The respondents, who were applicants for these benefits, argued that they had been denied due process because of excessive delays in receiving their hearings before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). They sought to impose a 90-day limit for such hearings. However, the Supreme Court held that there was no statutory or constitutional requirement mandating this time frame. While acknowledging that significant delays could potentially violate due process rights, it found insufficient evidence to suggest such violation in this case. Therefore, it reversed previous judgments imposing mandatory deadlines on ALJ hearings related to disability claims under the Social Security Act.

In the dissenting opinion for Heckler v. Day, it was argued that the majority's decision to uphold a district court order requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide disability benefits determinations within 90 days and appeals decisions within 60 days was an overreach of judicial authority. The dissent contended that such specific time frames were not mandated by Social Security Act or any other relevant legislation, thus making this imposition on administrative processes inappropriate. It further asserted that while delays in processing may be unfortunate, they do not constitute a denial of due process rights as long as there is no intentional stalling from the government side. Moreover, it emphasized concerns about separation of powers principles being violated through courts dictating how executive agencies should operate their internal procedures without clear legislative guidance.