United States Trust Co. v. New Jersey

E285914

United States Trust Co. v. New Jersey is a 1977 U.S. Supreme Court case that clarified the limits of state power to impair public contracts under the Constitution’s Contract Clause.

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Statements (44)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Contract Clause case
U.S. Supreme Court case
constitutional law case
areaOfLaw constitutional law
contracts
state and local government law
arguedDate 1976-11-03
1976-11-04
citation 431 U.S. 1
constitutionalProvisionInterpreted Article I, Section 10 of the United States Constitution
surface form: Article I, Section 10, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution

Contract Clause of the U.S. Constitution
surface form: Contract Clause
country United States of America
surface form: United States
court Supreme Court of the United States
decisionDate 1977-04-27
decisionType major Contract Clause decision
doctrine heightened scrutiny for state impairment of public contracts
fullName United States Trust Co. v. New Jersey self-linksurface differs
surface form: United States Trust Company of New York v. New Jersey
holding A state may not retroactively repeal or impair its own contractual obligations to bondholders without satisfying heightened Contract Clause scrutiny
State impairments of public contracts must be reasonable and necessary to serve an important public purpose
impact strengthened judicial protection of contractual rights against state impairment
issue Whether New Jersey and New York could retroactively repeal a statutory covenant protecting bondholders for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
jurisdiction United States of America
surface form: United States
legalSubject limits on state police power under the Contract Clause
public finance and bond covenants
state power to impair public contracts
majorityOpinionBy Harry A. Blackmun
surface form: Justice Harry A. Blackmun
overturnedLowerCourt New Jersey Supreme Court decision upholding the repeal of the covenant
page 1
petitioner United States Trust Company of New York
precedentFor analysis of when state modification of its own contracts violates the Contract Clause
limits on retroactive alteration of public bond covenants
relatedCase Allied Structural Steel Co. v. Spannaus
Home Building & Loan Association v. Blaisdell
relatedEntity Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
reporter United States Reports
respondent New Jersey, United States
surface form: State of New Jersey

New York State
surface form: State of New York
subjectCategory United States Supreme Court cases in 1977
United States Supreme Court cases on the Contract Clause
subjectMatter state statutory covenant protecting bondholders from use of revenues for mass transit projects
timePeriod Burger Court
volume 431
vote 4-3
year 1977

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Contract Clause hasKeyCase United States Trust Co. v. New Jersey
United States Trust Co. v. New Jersey fullName United States Trust Co. v. New Jersey self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: United States Trust Company of New York v. New Jersey