In the case of Linehan et al. v. Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor et al., the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Waterfront Commission, upholding its authority to regulate employment on waterfronts in New York and New Jersey. The plaintiffs, who were longshoremen, challenged a law that established the commission and gave it power to license dock workers as an infringement on their right to work. They argued that this violated due process under both state constitutions and the 14th Amendment of U.S Constitution which prohibits states from depriving any person life, liberty or property without due process of law. However, Justice Reed delivered majority opinion stating that there was no constitutional violation because public interest justified regulation for preventing criminal infiltration into waterfront labor activities.

In the dissenting opinion for Linehan et al. v. Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor et al., Justice Black disagreed with the majority's ruling that upheld a law requiring longshoremen to register and be licensed by a bi-state commission in order to work on waterfronts in New York and New Jersey. He argued that this law violated workers' Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination because it required them to disclose past criminal activities as part of their registration process, potentially leading to prosecution. Furthermore, he contended that the licensing requirement was an unreasonable restraint on individuals' right to earn a living under common-law principles, which prohibit government from arbitrarily interfering with citizens’ pursuit of lawful occupations or professions without due process protection.