In the case of T Mobile South, LLC v. City of Roswell, Georgia (2014), the Supreme Court ruled in favor of T-Mobile. The telecommunications company had applied to build a cell phone tower in Roswell and was denied by the city council without explanation. Under federal law, any denial for such construction must be accompanied by reasons for that decision. After two weeks following their initial denial, the city issued a detailed account explaining its decision which included concerns about aesthetics and potential decrease in property values due to the proposed tower's location within a residential area. The Supreme Court held that this delay violated federal law as it did not provide T-Mobile with an opportunity to challenge those reasons or seek judicial review immediately after rejection of their application. The court stated that local authorities need to issue written decisions simultaneously with any order denying applications like these so companies can promptly contest them if they wish.

In the dissenting opinion for T Mobile South, LLC v. City of Roswell, Georgia., Justice Thomas argued that the majority's decision was not in line with the Telecommunications Act of 1996. He pointed out that this act does not require local governments to provide reasons when they deny applications to build cell phone towers; it only requires them to issue a written denial. Therefore, he believed that Roswell did not violate federal law by failing to explain its reasons for denying T-Mobile’s application immediately after doing so. Furthermore, he disagreed with the majority's view on what constitutes "substantial evidence" and stated that requiring detailed explanations could lead local governments into legal trouble if their reasoning is deemed insufficient or incorrect under federal standards.