In the case of Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway et al. v. State of Tennessee et al., 1922, the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of the railway companies and against a state law that required railroads to provide separate but equal accommodations for black and white passengers within their trains' sleeping cars. The court found that this law was unconstitutional as it violated interstate commerce laws by imposing undue burdens on out-of-state businesses operating within Tennessee's borders. This decision was significant because it limited states' rights to regulate private business practices when they conflicted with federal regulations or constitutional protections.

The dissenting opinion in the case of Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway et al. v. State of Tennessee et al., argued that the majority's decision to uphold a state law requiring railroads to provide separate but equal accommodations for black and white passengers was inconsistent with previous rulings by the Supreme Court on similar issues. The dissenters believed that this ruling effectively sanctioned racial segregation, which they saw as inherently unequal and therefore unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. They also expressed concern about potential negative impacts on interstate commerce due to differing laws regarding racial segregation among states.