New York v. United States (1992)

E13964

New York v. United States (1992) is a landmark Supreme Court case that limited federal power by holding that Congress cannot compel states to enact or enforce federal regulatory programs, reinforcing the Tenth Amendment’s anti-commandeering principle.


Statements (44)
Predicate Object
instanceOf Tenth Amendment case
United States Supreme Court case
federalism case
landmark Supreme Court case
areaOfLaw constitutional law
federalism
separation of powers
category United States Supreme Court cases of the Rehnquist Court
United States Supreme Court cases on federalism
challengedProvision take-title provision of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985
chiefJusticeAtTime William H. Rehnquist
citation 505 U.S. 144
constitutionalProvisionInterpreted Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution
Spending Clause of the United States Constitution
Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
country United States
court Supreme Court of the United States
decisionDate 1992
doctrineEstablished modern anti-commandeering doctrine
fullCaseName New York, et al. v. United States, et al.
holding Congress may not compel states to enact or enforce a federal regulatory program
the federal government cannot commandeer the legislative processes of the states
impact limited Congress’s ability to force states to administer federal programs
strengthened state sovereignty against federal mandates
jurisdiction United States federal courts
languageOfProceeding English
laterCitedIn Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association (2018)
Printz v. United States (1997)
legalIssue Tenth Amendment limits on federal authority
anti-commandeering doctrine
scope of federal power under the Commerce Clause
majorityOpinionBy Justice Sandra Day O’Connor
partyType federal government as defendant
state as plaintiff
petitioner State of New York
principle Congress may encourage but not compel state regulation
federal government must regulate individuals directly rather than commandeer states
reasoning Tenth Amendment confirms that powers not delegated to the United States are reserved to the states or the people
commandeering blurs political accountability between state and federal officials
relatedStatute Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985
respondent United States of America
result other incentive provisions of the Act upheld
take-title provision held unconstitutional
voteSplit 6–3


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