The U.S. Supreme Court case Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway Company v. Missouri Railroad and Warehouse Commissioners in 1901 revolved around the issue of whether a state could regulate interstate commerce rates for railway companies. The Missouri Railroad and Warehouse Commissioners had ordered the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway Company to reduce its freight charges on certain goods transported within the state borders of Missouri. The railway company argued that this was an interference with interstate commerce as it also operated beyond state lines, thus falling under federal jurisdiction rather than state control. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the railroad company stating that while states have some power over local trade matters, they cannot interfere with or regulate aspects related to interstate commerce which is exclusively under federal authority according to the Commerce Clause of Constitution (Article I Section 8). This decision reinforced previous rulings upholding federal supremacy over interstate commercial activities.

In the dissenting opinion for Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway Company v. Missouri Railroad and Warehouse Commissioners, the justice argued that the majority's decision was a violation of state rights. He contended that it is within a state's power to regulate commerce within its borders as long as it does not interfere with interstate commerce or violate federal law. The justice believed that by ruling in favor of the railway company, which claimed that their rates were being unfairly regulated by Missouri’s railroad commission, they had overstepped their jurisdictional boundaries and infringed upon states' rights to self-governance. Furthermore, he expressed concern about potential negative implications this could have on future cases involving similar issues between corporations and regulatory bodies at both state and national levels.