In the 1931 case of Koenig et al. v. Flynn, Secretary of State, et al., the U.S Supreme Court was asked to determine whether a New York law that required all voters in primary elections to be registered violated the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. The plaintiffs argued that this requirement disenfranchised them and other eligible voters who were not registered but wished to participate in primary elections. However, the court upheld the law stating it did not violate any constitutional rights as long as it applied equally to all citizens without discrimination or bias based on race or color under its police power for regulating primaries which are part of election machinery. The court also noted that states have broad powers when it comes to determining their own voting requirements and procedures.

In the dissenting opinion for Koenig et al. v. Flynn, Secretary of State, et al., Justice Stone argued that the majority's decision to invalidate a New York law was an overreach of judicial power and violated principles of federalism. He contended that it is not within the purview of the Supreme Court to determine whether state laws are wise or unwise but rather if they violate constitutional rights - which in this case he believed they did not. The law in question required corporations to disclose their stockholders' names and addresses; Justice Stone saw no violation here as corporations are creatures of state law and thus subject to its regulations. Furthermore, he emphasized that states have a legitimate interest in regulating corporate activities for public welfare purposes including preventing frauds on creditors and shareholders alike.