The U.S. Supreme Court case Jacksonville Bulk Terminals, Inc., et al. v. International Longshoremen's Association et al., 1981 revolved around the issue of whether a labor union could refuse to handle goods from a country with which it had political disagreements, in this case South Africa during apartheid. The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) refused to unload cargo originating from or destined for South Africa as part of their protest against apartheid policies there. Jacksonville Bulk Terminals and other shipping companies sued the ILA claiming that such actions violated the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). However, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of ILA stating that its boycott was protected by free speech rights under First Amendment and did not violate NLRA because it was primarily politically motivated rather than being related to labor conditions or disputes.

In the dissenting opinion for Jacksonville Bulk Terminals, Inc. v. International Longshoremen's Association et al., Justice Rehnquist argued that the majority had overstepped its bounds by ruling on a matter of foreign policy, which is constitutionally within the purview of Congress and the President. He contended that there was no clear evidence to suggest that Congress intended to allow labor unions to make decisions regarding foreign policy through collective bargaining agreements under National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Furthermore, he disagreed with their interpretation of NLRA as it pertains to secondary boycotts; in his view, this case did not involve a traditional secondary boycott because it targeted an entire country rather than specific employers or industries. He also criticized their reliance on legislative history instead of statutory text in interpreting NLRA’s provisions about political disputes between employees and employers.