The Kobilkin v. Pillsbury case in 1939 involved a dispute over workers' compensation benefits under the Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act. The plaintiff, Kobilkin, was an employee of the Alaska Packers Association who suffered injuries while working on a fishing vessel off the coast of Alaska. He filed for compensation but his claim was denied by Deputy Commissioner Pillsbury on grounds that he wasn't eligible because his injury occurred outside territorial waters of U.S., which is not covered by said act. Dissatisfied with this decision, Kobilkin sought judicial review. However, the Supreme Court ruled against him stating that decisions made by deputy commissioners regarding claims are final unless they're procured through fraud or if it can be proven that there were no substantial evidence supporting their findings; neither conditions applied to this case according to court's observation. Furthermore, it clarified that jurisdictional facts like location of injury are also subject to same rule and hence cannot be reviewed independently from other factual determinations made during proceedings before commissioner.

The dissenting opinion in the case of Kobilkin v. Pillsbury, Deputy Commissioner of U.S. Employees' Compensation Commission, et al., argued that the majority's decision was inconsistent with previous court rulings and misinterpreted the Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA). The dissent contended that under this act, an injury is compensable if it arises out of employment regardless of where it occurs. They disagreed with the majority’s interpretation that injuries must occur on navigable waters to be covered by LHWCA. The dissent further criticized the majority for failing to consider whether Mr. Kobilkin's work as a ship repairman exposed him to distinctive risks not faced by other employees working ashore which would make his injury compensable under LHWCA even though he was injured while working on land.