The United States v. Procter & Gamble Co. et al., 1957, was a case that revolved around the issue of whether or not grand jury transcripts could be used in pretrial discovery by defendants in an antitrust suit brought by the government. The Supreme Court ruled against Procter & Gamble and other soap manufacturers who were seeking access to these transcripts, stating that they are generally kept secret for various reasons such as preventing potential tampering with witnesses or evidence and encouraging free disclosure from witnesses during proceedings. However, it also noted that this secrecy is not absolute; there may be circumstances where justice requires their release but those decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of trial courts rather than being automatically granted upon request.

The dissenting opinion in the United States v. Procter & Gamble Co. case argued that the grand jury's investigation was not compromised by allowing government attorneys access to its records for use in a civil trial against Procter & Gamble and other soap manufacturers. It emphasized that there is no general policy or rule of law preventing disclosure of grand jury proceedings, especially when it serves justice and public interest. The dissent also pointed out that any potential harm from such disclosure would be speculative at best, while withholding information could obstruct justice by impeding a legitimate civil lawsuit brought forth by the government on behalf of consumers who may have been harmed by alleged price-fixing activities among these companies.