In the case of Turner v. Department of Employment Security of Utah, 1975, the U.S Supreme Court dealt with a dispute over unemployment benefits. The plaintiff, Mrs. Turner was denied unemployment compensation by the state agency because she had left her job voluntarily without good cause after her husband's military transfer to another state. She argued that this denial violated her right to equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment as it discriminated against married women who relocate due to their spouse’s work requirements compared to other employees who quit for personal reasons and still receive benefits. The court ruled in favor of Mrs.Turner stating that there was no rational basis for treating these two classes differently and therefore, denying benefits solely on marital status constituted sex discrimination violating Equal Protection Clause under Fourteenth Amendment.

The dissenting opinion in the Turner v. Department of Employment Security of Utah case argued that the majority's decision was a misinterpretation of the law and an overreach into state jurisdiction. The dissenters believed that it is not within the purview of federal courts to dictate how states should administer their unemployment compensation programs, as long as they comply with federal requirements. They also disagreed with the majority's interpretation of "misconduct," arguing that Turner’s actions did indeed constitute misconduct under any reasonable definition, thus justifying his dismissal and denial for benefits by his employer. Furthermore, they contended that this ruling could set a dangerous precedent where employees who engage in clearly inappropriate behavior are still entitled to unemployment benefits simply because their actions do not meet some arbitrary standard set by federal judges rather than state administrators or lawmakers.