MUNN v. ILLINOIS

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Case Basics
Petitioner 
Munn
Respondent 
Illinois
Decided By 
Waite Court (1874-1877)
Opinion 
94 U.S. 113 (1877)
Argued 
Friday, January 14, 1876
Decided 
Thursday, March 1, 1877
Term:
Location: Illinois General Assembly
Facts of the Case 

Illinois regulated grain warehouse and elevator rates by establishing maximum rates for their use.

Question 

Did the state-imposed rates deny the warehouse and elevator owners equal protection and due process under the 14th Amendment?

Conclusion 
Decision: 7 votes for Illinois, 2 vote(s) against
Legal provision: Illinois Warehouse Act of 1871; US Constitution, 14th Amendment

No on both counts. Waite, for the Court, took a broad view of the state's police power. He argued that the states may regulate the use of private property "when such regulation becomes necessary for the public good." Waite resurrected an ancient legal doctrine to support his view: "When property is affected with a public interest, it ceases to be juris privati only."

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MUNN v. ILLINOIS. The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. 10 February 2012. <http://www.oyez.org/cases/1851-1900/1875/1875_0/>.
MUNN v. ILLINOIS, The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, http://www.oyez.org/cases/1851-1900/1875/1875_0/ (last visited February 10, 2012).
"MUNN v. ILLINOIS," The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, accessed February 10, 2012, http://www.oyez.org/cases/1851-1900/1875/1875_0/.