The Schenley Distillers Corp. v. United States case in 1945 revolved around the legality of a wartime price regulation imposed by the Office of Price Administration (OPA). The OPA had established maximum prices for distilled spirits, which Schenley Distillers Corporation and other distilling companies argued were too low and violated their rights under the Fifth Amendment to just compensation for private property taken for public use. They also claimed that it was beyond OPA's authority as granted by Congress through the Emergency Price Control Act of 1942. However, the Supreme Court ruled against them, upholding both the constitutionality of this act and its application in setting maximum prices during war emergencies. The court held that such regulations did not constitute a taking without just compensation but were instead an exercise of congressional power to prevent inflationary practices threatening national economy during wartime.

In the dissenting opinion for Schenley Distillers Corp. v. United States, Justice Robert H. Jackson argued that the majority's decision to uphold a federal regulation limiting distilleries' production of whiskey was an overreach of executive power and violated principles of free enterprise. He contended that the War Production Board had no authority to impose such restrictions in peacetime, as its powers were intended for wartime emergencies only. Furthermore, he believed this ruling would set a dangerous precedent by allowing government agencies to interfere with private business operations without clear legislative guidance or oversight from Congress.