CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
CLASS 8
January 25, 2007
The Commerce Clause II
Interpretation: 1937-present
NLRB v. Jones & Laughlin (1937)
(CB p. 142)
• Chief Justice
Charles Evans
Hughes wrote the
majority opinion of
the Court
• 5-4 decision
U.S. v. Darby (1941) (CB p. 144)
• Justice Stone
delivered opinion of
the Court
(unanimous)
Wickard v. Filburn (1942) (CB p.
147)
• Justice Robert
Jackson delivered
opinion of a
unanimous Court
COMMERCE POWER USED TO
PROHIBIT DISCRIMINATION
• Commerce power used
to prohibit
discrimination in
marketplace
• E.g. Heart of Atlanta
Motel, Inc. v. United
States, 379 U.S. 241
(1964) (CB p. 150) and
Katzenbach v. McClung,
379 U.S. 294 (1964) (CB
p. 151)
CLOSER JUDICIAL SCRUTINY
1990s-?
• United States
v. Lopez,
(1995) (5-4)
(CB p. 153)
• United States
v. Morrison,
(2000) (54)(CB p. 173)
MOST RECENT SUPREME
COURT RULING
• Gonzalez v.
Raich, (2005) (5-4)
(Supp. p. 9)
MODERN LAW: 3 THINGS CAN
BE REGULATED UNDER THE
COMMERCE POWER
• 1. Channels of interstate commerce (e.g.
roads, terms/conditions on which goods can
be sold interstate)
• 2. Instrumentalities of interstate commerce
(e.g airlines, railroads, trucking) and
persons/things in intersatet commerce
• 3. any economic activity that has a
substantial relationship with interstate
commerce or substantially affects interstate
commerce (read together with N & P clause)