In the 1982 case of National Association of Greeting Card Publishers v. United States Postal Service, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The National Association of Greeting Card Publishers had challenged a decision by USPS to increase postage rates for first-class mail while maintaining lower rates for third-class bulk advertising mail, arguing that this violated their right to equal protection under law and was an abuse of discretion by USPS. However, the court held that Congress has broad powers over postal matters and can authorize differential pricing structures if they are reasonable and not arbitrary or capricious. It also found no violation of equal protection rights as there is no fundamental right involved in mailing letters at a particular rate.

The dissenting opinion in the case of National Association of Greeting Card Publishers v. United States Postal Service et al., 1982, argued that the majority's decision to uphold a postal rate increase for third-class mail was incorrect. The dissenters believed that this ruling violated the Postal Reorganization Act’s requirement for fair and equitable rates because it disproportionately affected certain businesses over others. They contended that while some companies could absorb these costs, smaller businesses would struggle significantly under such increases. Furthermore, they disagreed with the majority's interpretation of "reasonable" rates as those which cover operational costs and contribute to institutional overheads; instead arguing that reasonable should mean affordable for all users regardless of their size or business model.