Missouri v. Holland
E934445
Missouri v. Holland is a landmark 1920 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the federal government’s power to implement international treaties through national legislation even in areas traditionally regulated by the states.
Statements (43)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
United States Supreme Court case
ⓘ
federalism case ⓘ landmark case ⓘ treaty power case ⓘ |
| areaOfLaw |
constitutional law
ⓘ
environmental law ⓘ international law ⓘ |
| argumentByMissouri | Regulation of game and wildlife is reserved to the states under the Tenth Amendment. ⓘ |
| authorOfOpinion | Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| citation | 252 U.S. 416 ⓘ |
| constitutionalProvisionInterpreted |
Article II Treaty Clause of the U.S. Constitution
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Necessary and Proper Clause NERFINISHED ⓘ Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| court | Supreme Court of the United States ⓘ |
| courtTerm | 1919 term of the U.S. Supreme Court ⓘ |
| decisionDate | 1920-04-19 ⓘ |
| decisionType | majority opinion ⓘ |
| fullCaseName | State of Missouri v. Holland, United States Game Warden NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| holding |
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 is constitutional as an exercise of the treaty power and the Necessary and Proper Clause.
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
The federal government may implement valid treaties through national legislation even in areas otherwise reserved to the states. ⓘ |
| importance |
Frequently cited in debates over federalism and international agreements.
ⓘ
Key precedent on the breadth of the federal treaty power. ⓘ |
| jurisdiction |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| languageOfDecision | English ⓘ |
| legalIssue |
federalism and states’ rights
ⓘ
implementation of treaties by Congress ⓘ scope of the federal treaty power ⓘ |
| majorityOpinionBy | Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| petitioner | State of Missouri NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| principleEstablished |
Congress may pass laws necessary and proper to implement treaties.
ⓘ
The Tenth Amendment does not limit the treaty power when a treaty is otherwise valid. ⓘ Valid treaties made under the authority of the United States can expand the scope of federal legislative power. ⓘ |
| respondent | Ray P. Holland NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| respondentRole | United States game warden ⓘ |
| stateChallengingFederalLaw | Missouri NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| statuteInvolved | Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| subjectMatter | migratory bird protection ⓘ |
| subsequentInfluence | Cited in later cases concerning the treaty power and federal authority over traditionally state-regulated matters. ⓘ |
| SupremeCourtRejectionOfArgument | The Court rejected Missouri’s claim that the Tenth Amendment barred federal implementation of the treaty. ⓘ |
| treatyInvolved | 1916 Migratory Bird Treaty between the United States and Great Britain NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| vote | 7–2 ⓘ |
| yearDecided | 1920 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.