Hylton v. United States, 3 Dallas (3 U.S.) 171; 1 L. Ed. 556 (1796) Facts—This was a case brought from the circuit court in Virginia challenging the 1794 congressional law imposing a tax on carriages. It was stipulated that Hylton…
Barenblatt v. United States, 360 U.S. 109; 79 S. Ct. 1081; 3 L. Ed. 2d 1114 (1959) Facts—Barenblatt, a one-time college professor, was called as a witness before a subcommittee of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, which was investigating…
Stafford v. Wallace, 258 U.S. 495; 42 S. Ct. 397; 66 L. Ed. 735 (1922) Facts—Stafford and Company, engaged in the buying and selling of livestock, brought suit against Secretary of Agriculture H. C. Wallace to prohibit him from enforcing…
Ashwander v. Tennessee Valley Authority, 297 U.S. 288; 56 S. Ct. 466; 80 L. Ed. 688 (1936) Facts—The TVA, an agency of the federal government, entered into a contract with the Alabama Power Company, providing for the purchase by the…
Kentucky Whip and Collar Co. v. Illinois Central R.R. Co., 299 U.S. 334; 57 S. Ct. 277; 81 L. Ed. 270 (1937) Facts—The Ashurst-Sumners Act of 1935 made it unlawful to ship in interstate commerce goods made by convict labor…
West Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish, 300 U.S. 379; 57 S. Ct. 578; 81 L. Ed. 703 (1937) Facts—Washington State laws prohibited wages below a living wage and conditions of labor detrimental to the health and morals of women and…
Wickard v. Filburn, 317 U.S. 111; 63 S. Ct. 82; 87 L. Ed. 122 (1942) Facts—Filburn owned and operated a small farm in Montgomery County, Ohio, maintaining a herd of dairy cattle, selling milk, raising poultry, and selling poultry and…
United States v. Southeastern Underwriters Association 322 U.S. 533; 64 S. Ct. 1162; 88 L. Ed. 1440 (1944) Facts—The Southeastern Underwriters Association represented private stock companies that sold fire insurance in six southeastern states. They were indicted in a federal…
Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States, 379 U.S. 241; 85 S. Ct. 348; 13 L. Ed. 2d 258 (1964) Facts—The owner of a large motel in Atlanta, Georgia, which restricted its clientele to white persons, brought suit for…
United States v. Lopez, 514 U.S. 549; 115 S. Ct. 1624; 131 L. Ed. 2d 626 (1995) Facts—A twelfth-grade student was convicted of violating the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 for knowingly possessing a firearm at a school. Lopez…