Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States, 379 U.S. 241; 85 S. Ct. 348; 13 L. Ed. 2d 258 (1964) Facts—The owner of a large motel in Atlanta, Georgia, which restricted its clientele to white persons, brought suit for…

United States v. Lopez, 514 U.S. 549; 115 S. Ct. 1624; 131 L. Ed. 2d 626 (1995) Facts—A twelfth-grade student was convicted of violating the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 for knowingly possessing a firearm at a school. Lopez…

Jones v. United States, 529 U.S. 848; 120 S. Ct. 1904; 146 L. Ed. 2d 902 (2000) Facts—A section of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 made it a federal crime to damage a building “used in interstate or…

Gonzales v. Raich, 545 U.S. 1; 125 S. Ct. 2195; 162 L. Ed. 2d 1 (2005) Facts—Angel Raich and Diane Monson are California residents who had permission on the state’s Compassionate Use Act to use marijuana prescribed by medical doctors…

J.W. Hampton, Jr. & Co. v. United States, 276 U.S. 394; 48 S. Ct. 348; 72 L. Ed. 624 (1928) Facts—J.W. Hampton, Jr. and Company imported some goods at a New York port and was assessed a rate higher than…

Panama Refining Co. v. Ryan, 293 U.S. 388; 55 S. Ct. 241; 79 L. Ed. 446 (1935) Facts—Section 9 (c) of the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) had given the president the power to forbid the transportation in interstate commerce…

Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, 295 U.S. 495; 55 S. Ct. 837; 79 L. Ed. 1570 (1935) Facts—The A.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp. was convicted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on an indictment…

United States v. Curtiss-Wright Export Corp., 299 U.S. 304; 57 S. Ct. 216; 81 L. Ed. 255 (1936) Facts—Curtiss-Wright Export Corp. sold armaments to Bolivia, a country then engaged in armed conflict in the Chaco region in South America the…

Yakus v. United States, 321 U.S. 414; 64 S. Ct. 660; 88 L. Ed. 834 (1944) Facts—The petitioner was tried and convicted for willfully selling whole sale cuts of beef at prices above the maximum prices prescribed by the price…

Mistretta v. United States, 488 U.S. 361; 109 S. Ct. 647; 102 L. Ed. 2d 714 (1989) Facts—The Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 created a Sentencing Commission consisting of seven members appointed by the president, and including three federal judges.…