The U.S. Supreme Court case Hitchman Coal & Coke Company v. Mitchell, et al., in 1917 revolved around the issue of labor union organizing and contractual rights between employers and employees. The Hitchman Coal & Coke Company had implemented "yellow-dog" contracts which prohibited their employees from joining a labor union as a condition of employment. When workers attempted to organize with the United Mine Workers Union, the company sued on grounds that these actions violated their existing employment contracts. The court ruled in favor of Hitchman Coal & Coke Company, upholding the legality of yellow-dog contracts under federal law at that time by stating they were protected by an employer's right to contract freely with its workers without interference from third parties (like unions). This decision significantly hindered unionization efforts until such contracts were outlawed decades later through legislation like Norris-LaGuardia Act in 1932.

In the dissenting opinion for Hitchman Coal & Coke Company v. Mitchell, Justice Louis Brandeis argued that the majority's decision to issue an injunction against union organizing activities was a misuse of judicial power. He contended that such actions were not inherently harmful and should be regulated by legislative action rather than court rulings. Furthermore, he disagreed with the majority's view that employees had implicitly agreed not to join unions as part of their employment contracts, arguing instead that workers have a fundamental right to organize for better working conditions and wages. Justice Brandeis also criticized the Court’s interference in labor disputes which he believed would only exacerbate tensions between employers and employees.