The U.S. Supreme Court case Utah Junk Co. v. Porter, Price Administrator in 1945 revolved around the issue of price control during World War II under the Emergency Price Control Act of 1942 (EPCA). The Utah Junk Company was accused of selling scrap metal at prices above those set by the EPCA and challenged this on constitutional grounds, arguing that it violated their Fifth Amendment rights to due process and just compensation for private property taken for public use. However, the court ruled against them stating that Congress had broad powers to regulate commerce during times of war and national emergency; therefore, such price controls were constitutionally valid as a means to prevent inflation and ensure adequate supplies for wartime production.

In the dissenting opinion for Utah Junk Co. v. Porter, Price Administrator, Justice Robert H. Jackson argued that the majority's decision to uphold price controls on scrap metal was an overreach of federal power and a violation of states' rights under the Tenth Amendment. He contended that Congress did not have unlimited authority to regulate commerce and should respect state sovereignty in matters traditionally governed by local law such as property rights and business transactions within a single state. Furthermore, he warned against interpreting wartime powers too broadly because it could lead to permanent expansions of federal authority at the expense of individual liberties even after peace is restored.