Congress’s Regulatory Powers: Federal Power to Regulate Interstate Commerce (1937-1995) Flashcards
National Labor Relations Board v. Jones Laughlin Steel Corp.
Congress can regulate labor relations because they have a substantial effect on interstate commerce.
National Labor Relations Board v. Jones Laughlin Steel Corp.
Issue
Whether Congress can regulate labor relations
National Labor Relations Board v. Jones Laughlin Steel Corp.
Facts
Jones fired employees for trying to unionize. The NLRB charged respondent with discrimination and coercion and ordered it to stop because it was affecting interstate commerce. Jones was a huge company that operated across state lines
National Labor Relations Board v. Jones Laughlin Steel Corp.
Reasoning
Jones was a huge company with its own railway and shipping lines to transport Materials across state lines. The Act only gives power to the NLRB when commerce is burdened or obstructed, and the fact that the source of the problem was from local labor disputes doesn’t null that power. It doesn’t matter the employees were manufacturing goods. Strife between employees and employers could have been catastrophic since Jones’ products were invaluable to interstate commerce. And the company’s huge size made it impossible not to affect interstate commerce
United States v. Darby
Congress has the power to regulate working standards that affect interstate commerce and to exclude any article that was made by employers violating those standards from interstage commerce.
United States v. Darby
Issue
Whether Congress has the power to regulate working standards that affect interstate commerce and to exclude any article that was made by employers violating those standards from interstage commerce.
United States v. Darby
Facts
The Fair Labor Standards Act set a minimum wage of 25 cents an hour and a max 44 hour work week, allowing overtime with more pay, for employees who worked in interstate commerce or produced goods for it. The act also required employers to keep records of this data. Appellee was charged with violating this.
United States v. Darby
R\easoning
Congress may enact rules that protect interstate commerce. The FLSA meant to protect the overall health and well-being of workers in interstate commerce by establishing a minimum standard of living. Protecting workers protects interstate commerce so the FLSA is within Congress’s power so all its provisions are constitutional. Even though this gives Congress over activities in the states, it doesn’t affect the 10th Amendment because states never had this power
United States v. Darby
Holding
“The power of Congress over interstate commerce is not confined to the regulation of commerce among the states. It extends to those activities intrastate which so affect interstate commerce or the exercise of the power of Congress over it as to make regulation of them appropriate means to the attainment of a legitimate end, the exercise of the granted power of Congress to regulate interstate commerce.” Pg. 516
Wickard v. Filburn
Congress may regulate the intrastate activity if the activity has a substantial effect on interstate commerce
Wickard v. Filburn
Issue
Whether Congress may regulate the intrastate activity if the activity has a substantial effect on interstate commerce
Wickard v. Filburn
Issue
The Agriculture Adjustment Act limited the areas on which farmers could grow wheat in an effort to stabilize the national price of wheat. The appellee grew too much wheat, refused to pay the fine and challenged the constitutionality of the law.
Wickard v. Filburn
Reasoning
Congress may regulate local activities when they greatly affect interstate commerce. The effect of people who grow wheat for their own use was the most variable factor in the Act’s goal to stabilize wheat prices. When farmers grown wheat for their own use, that wheat doesn’t go into the market and that has a negative effect on the price of wheat. One farmer’s use of his grain affects interstate commerce a lot when added to similar farmers.
Wickard v. Filburn
Holding
Congress may regulate Filburn’s wheat
Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States
Congress used the Commerce Clause to uphold Title II of the Civil Rights Act. The motel was near a busy highway and the Court found that discrimination greatly harmed interstate commerce. Since African Americans often couldn’t find reasonable places to stay, they didn’t travel and were excluded from interstate commerce.
