In the case of Radio Station WOW, Inc. et al. v. Johnson in 1944, the U.S Supreme Court ruled on a dispute over radio station licensing and control between Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society (WOW) and Johnson, who was appointed as receiver for WOW's assets during its financial difficulties. The court held that while Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had granted license renewal to WOW before receivership began, it did not mean FCC approved transfer of control from society to receiver; thus making Johnson’s claim invalid since he lacked authority to operate under said license without explicit approval from FCC. Furthermore, they stated that even though courts can appoint receivers for corporations holding licenses issued by federal regulatory bodies like FCC; these appointments do not automatically confer upon them rights or privileges associated with those licenses unless explicitly authorized by issuing agency itself.

In the dissenting opinion for Radio Station WOW, Inc. v. Johnson, Justice Robert H. Jackson argued that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had overstepped its authority by revoking a radio station's license without sufficient cause or due process of law. He contended that while Congress granted the FCC power to regulate broadcasting licenses in public interest, it did not give them unlimited discretion to revoke licenses arbitrarily or capriciously based on their own interpretation of what constitutes "public interest". Furthermore, he criticized the majority decision as setting a dangerous precedent where regulatory agencies could wield unchecked power and infringe upon constitutional rights such as freedom of speech and press under guise of serving public interest. In his view, this case was less about whether WOW’s programming served public interests but more about defining limits to administrative powers vested in government bodies like FCC.