In the case of Joseph S. Finch & Co. et al. v. McKittrick, Attorney General, et al., 1938, the Supreme Court ruled on a dispute involving alcohol distribution laws in Missouri and their impact on interstate commerce regulations under federal law. The plaintiffs were out-of-state liquor manufacturers who challenged a Missouri statute that required all alcoholic beverages sold within state lines to pass through a licensed wholesaler before reaching retailers or consumers - an arrangement known as the "three-tier system". They argued this violated the Commerce Clause of the U.S Constitution by interfering with interstate trade practices and favoring local businesses over those from other states. The court upheld Missouri's right to regulate alcohol sales within its borders under its police power granted by the 21st Amendment (which repealed Prohibition). It found that while such regulation might affect interstate commerce indirectly, it did not constitute direct discrimination against out-of-state interests nor was it protectionist in nature; therefore it didn't violate constitutional principles governing trade between states.

In the dissenting opinion for Joseph S. Finch & Co. et al. v. McKittrick, Attorney General, et al., Justice Butler argued that Missouri's law prohibiting the importation of liquor from other states was unconstitutional as it violated the Commerce Clause of the U.S Constitution which gives Congress exclusive power to regulate interstate commerce. He believed that this state law directly interfered with interstate commerce and therefore should be invalidated by federal authority under its constitutional powers granted by Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution - The Commerce Clause.