The Norfolk & Western Railway Company v. Public Service Commission of West Virginia et al., 1923, is a case that revolved around the issue of whether or not the state had jurisdiction over interstate commerce and could impose regulations on it. The railway company challenged an order from the West Virginia Public Service Commission requiring them to install safety appliances in their trains operating within the state's borders. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Norfolk & Western Railway Company, stating that only Congress has authority to regulate interstate commerce under its Commerce Clause powers outlined in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S Constitution. Therefore, states cannot interfere with this federal power by imposing their own rules and regulations on companies involved in such trade activities across state lines.

In the dissenting opinion for Norfolk & Western Railway Company v. Public Service Commission of West Virginia, Justice McReynolds argued that the majority's decision was an unwarranted intrusion into state affairs and a violation of states' rights to regulate their own industries. He contended that the State of West Virginia had every right to set its own rates for intrastate commerce, including railroads operating within its borders. The federal government should not interfere with this authority unless there is clear evidence that it adversely affects interstate commerce or violates national policy. In this case, he saw no such evidence presented by Norfolk & Western Railway Company; therefore, he believed the court overstepped its bounds in ruling against West Virginia's Public Service Commission.