In the case of James Shewan & Sons, Inc. v. United States (1924), the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of the government regarding a dispute over tariff classification for imported iron and steel ship parts. The company argued that these items should be classified under "iron and steel" which had lower import duties, while the government insisted they fell under "parts of vessels," attracting higher tariffs. The court held that even though these components were made from iron or steel, their specific design and purpose as ship parts meant they could not be considered merely as raw materials but rather finished products intended for use in ships' construction or repair - hence subject to higher duty rates under existing customs laws.

In the dissenting opinion for James Shewan & Sons, Inc. v. United States, Justice McReynolds disagreed with the majority's interpretation of a statute regarding compensation for ship repairs during wartime. He argued that the language of the law clearly indicated that it was intended to apply only in situations where ships were requisitioned by the government while they were under construction or repair and not when they had already been completed and delivered to their owners before being requisitioned. In his view, this case did not meet these criteria as all necessary work on the vessels had been finished prior to their seizure by authorities; thus he believed there should be no additional payment beyond what was agreed upon in original contracts between parties involved.