UNITED STATES VS DARBY

CONTEXT

• 1941
• Based on disputes about labor laws (minimum wages, maximum weekly hours, child labor). The Plaintiff was the United States.

FACTS OF THE CASE

• A lumber manufacturer (Darby) shipped lumber across state lines and was arrested for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act.

CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTION

• Was the Fair Labor Standards Act a legitimate exercise of Congress' power to regulate interstate commerce?

SUPREME COURT RULE

• The court unanimously decided that it was the right of Congress to reserve powers in the Commerce Clause.

BASED DECISION UPON...

• the Gibbons vs. Ogden case of 1824.

MAIN POINTS IN THE MAJORITY DECISION

• The court confirmed that Congress has the right to uphold the Commerce Clause.
• Interstate commerce matters should be left to legislative judgment.