UNITED STATES v. DARBY
Term:
- 1940-1949
Location:
Congress
Facts of the Case
In 1938, Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act to regulate many aspects of employment including minimum wages, maximum weekly hours, and child labor. Corporations which engaged in interstate commerce or produced goods which were sold in other states were punished for violating the statute.
Question
Was the act a legitimate exercise of Congress's power to regulate interstate commerce?
Conclusion
Decision: 8 votes for United States, 0 vote(s) against
Legal provision: Fair Labor Standards Act; US Const. Art 1, Section 8
Legal provision: Fair Labor Standards Act; US Const. Art 1, Section 8
The unanimous Court affirmed the right of Congress to exercise "to its utmost extent" the powers reserved for it in the Commerce Clause. Relying heavily on the Court's decision in Gibbons v. Ogden (1824), Justice Stone argued that the "motive and purpose of a regulation of interstate commerce are matters for the legislative judgment . . . over which the courts are given no control." Congress acted with proper authority in outlawing substandard labor conditions since they have a significant impact on interstate commerce.
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Cite this Page
UNITED STATES v. DARBY. The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. 19 May 2013. <http://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1949/1940/1940_82>.
UNITED STATES v. DARBY, The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, http://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1949/1940/1940_82 (last visited May 19, 2013).
"UNITED STATES v. DARBY," The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, accessed May 19, 2013, http://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1949/1940/1940_82.