In the case United States v. Buffalo Pitts Company, 1913, the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of the government and against Buffalo Pitts Company. The company was accused of violating antitrust laws by participating in a conspiracy to restrain trade and commerce among several states through price-fixing agreements for steam road rollers. The court found that such an agreement indeed existed and it directly affected interstate commerce, thus falling under federal jurisdiction as per Sherman Antitrust Act. Furthermore, evidence showed that this agreement had been operational for years before its discovery which led to substantial penalties being imposed on all involved parties including Buffalo Pitts Company.

In the dissenting opinion for United States v. Buffalo Pitts Company, the justice argued that the Sherman Act was not intended to regulate commerce within a state but rather between states and foreign nations. The justice believed that if Congress had intended to include intrastate commerce in its regulation, it would have done so explicitly in the language of the act. He also contended that even if some parts of a company's operations affected interstate or international trade, this did not mean all aspects of its business fell under federal jurisdiction. Furthermore, he disagreed with majority’s interpretation about monopolies being inherently harmful; instead arguing they could be beneficial depending on circumstances and should be evaluated case by case basis rather than blanket prohibition.