In the case of Secretary of Agriculture v. United States et al., 1955, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a dispute involving federal agricultural subsidies. The Secretary of Agriculture had issued marketing orders under the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act that set minimum prices for milk in certain regions and required handlers to pay into an equalization pool if they purchased milk below those prices. A group of handlers challenged these orders, arguing that they were not given adequate notice or opportunity to be heard before the orders were issued, violating their due process rights under Fifth Amendment. The Supreme Court held that while administrative agencies must generally provide notice and hearing before issuing rules affecting individual rights, this requirement does not apply when Congress has authorized rulemaking without such procedures - as it did with the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act. Therefore, no violation occurred even though handlers weren't provided prior notice or hearing opportunities regarding price-setting decisions by Department of Agriculture officials.

In the dissenting opinion for SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE v. UNITED STATES et al., Justice Frankfurter, joined by Justices Burton and Minton, argued that the majority's decision to strike down a regulation issued by the Secretary of Agriculture was incorrect because it failed to properly defer to administrative expertise. The dissenters believed that Congress had delegated broad authority to the Secretary of Agriculture under the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) in order for him/her to manage complex agricultural issues. They contended that courts should not substitute their judgment for those who have been entrusted with these responsibilities unless there is clear evidence of arbitrary or capricious action on part of administrators. In this case, they found no such evidence and thus disagreed with majority’s ruling against Secretary’s regulation which aimed at stabilizing market conditions through control over commodity storage rates.