The U.S. Supreme Court case South-Central Timber Development, Inc. v. Wunnicke involved a dispute over the State of Alaska's requirement that timber harvested from state lands must be processed within the state before exportation to other states or foreign countries. The plaintiff, South-Central Timber Development, argued this violated the Commerce Clause and Supremacy Clause of the U.S Constitution by interfering with interstate and international commerce. In 1983, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of South-Central Timber Development on a 5-4 decision stating that while states have authority over their natural resources, they cannot impose conditions which affect downstream commerce outside their jurisdiction as it would interfere with federal regulation of international and interstate trade.

The dissenting opinion in the case of South-Central Timber Development, Inc. v. Wunnicke argued that the Supreme Court should not have struck down Alaska's requirement for timber to be partially processed within the state before exportation. The justices contended that this regulation was a legitimate exercise of state power and did not interfere with federal foreign commerce authority or policy. They believed it fell under an exception allowing states to regulate even-handedly for legitimate local public interest, and its effects on interstate commerce were only incidental. Furthermore, they disagreed with the majority's view that this rule had significant foreign policy implications requiring federal intervention; instead, they saw it as a domestic economic matter primarily affecting Alaskans' jobs and resources rather than international relations or trade agreements.