Edwards v. California
E507014
Edwards v. California is a 1941 U.S. Supreme Court case that struck down a California law restricting the bringing of indigent persons into the state, holding that such limits on interstate movement violated the Commerce Clause.
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Commerce Clause case
ⓘ
United States Supreme Court case ⓘ |
| arguedDate | 1941-11-06 ⓘ |
| citation | 314 U.S. 160 ⓘ |
| constitutionalProvisionInterpreted |
Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| court | Supreme Court of the United States ⓘ |
| decisionDate | 1941-11-24 ⓘ |
| decisionType | plenary decision ⓘ |
| effectOnLaw | limited state power to exclude indigent migrants from entering the state. ⓘ |
| fullName | Edwards v. California NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| holding |
A state may not bar the transportation of indigent persons into the state because such a restriction is an unconstitutional burden on interstate commerce.
ⓘ
California Welfare and Institutions Code § 2615, prohibiting knowingly bringing an indigent person into California, violates the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. ⓘ |
| issue |
Whether California may restrict the interstate movement of indigent persons.
ⓘ
Whether a state law criminalizing the transportation of indigent nonresidents into the state violates the Commerce Clause. ⓘ |
| joinedByMajority |
Chief Justice Harlan F. Stone
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Justice Felix Frankfurter NERFINISHED ⓘ Justice Frank Murphy NERFINISHED ⓘ Justice Hugo L. Black NERFINISHED ⓘ Justice Owen J. Roberts NERFINISHED ⓘ Justice Robert H. Jackson NERFINISHED ⓘ Justice Stanley F. Reed NERFINISHED ⓘ Justice William O. Douglas NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| jurisdiction | United States federal jurisdiction NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| lawChallenged | California Welfare and Institutions Code § 2615 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| lawChallengedDescription | California statute making it a misdemeanor to knowingly bring or assist in bringing an indigent person into the state. ⓘ |
| majorityOpinionBy | Justice James F. Byrnes NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| pageInUnitedStatesReports | 160 ⓘ |
| party |
Edwards
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
State of California NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| petitioner | Edwards NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| priorHistory | People v. Edwards, 35 Cal. App. 2d 673, 96 P.2d 379 (Cal. Ct. App. 1939) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| respondent | California NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| result | California statute restricting the bringing of indigent persons into the state was struck down. ⓘ |
| separateOpinion |
concurrence by Justice Felix Frankfurter
ⓘ
concurrence by Justice Harlan F. Stone ⓘ concurrence by Justice Robert H. Jackson ⓘ concurrence by Justice William O. Douglas ⓘ |
| significance |
considered an important step toward recognition of a constitutional right to interstate travel.
ⓘ
recognized that the movement of persons is a form of interstate commerce protected from undue state burdens. ⓘ |
| subjectMatter |
constitutional limits on state regulation of interstate movement of persons
ⓘ
federalism and state police powers ⓘ |
| topic |
indigency and poverty laws
ⓘ
interstate commerce ⓘ right to travel between states ⓘ state regulation of migration ⓘ |
| volumeOfUnitedStatesReports | 314 ⓘ |
| yearDecided | 1941 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.