Contract Clause of the U.S. Constitution

E938878

constitutional clause legal doctrine

The Contract Clause of the U.S. Constitution is a provision in Article I, Section 10 that restricts states from passing laws that impair the obligation of existing contracts.

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Observed surface forms (3)

Surface form	Occurrences
Contract Clause of the United States Constitution	4
Contract Clause	1
The Kansas Natural Gas Price Protection Act did not violate the Contract Clause as applied to the contracts at issue.	1

Statements (47)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	constitutional clause ⓘ legal doctrine ⓘ
adoptedOn	1788 ⓘ
aimedAt	preventing state interference with private credit markets ⓘ promoting economic stability and confidence in contracts ⓘ
appliesTo	U.S. states ⓘ state legislation ⓘ
bindingOn	all U.S. states ⓘ
cameIntoForce	1789 ⓘ
category	U.S. constitutional law ⓘ U.S. economic and commercial law ⓘ
codifiedIn	Article I, Section 10, Clause 1 of the United States Constitution NERFINISHED ⓘ
doesNotApplyTo	federal government ⓘ purely private conduct without state action ⓘ
earlyLeadingCase	Dartmouth College v. Woodward NERFINISHED ⓘ Fletcher v. Peck NERFINISHED ⓘ Sturges v. Crowninshield NERFINISHED ⓘ
governs	relationship between state regulatory power and private contracts ⓘ
hasJurisdiction	federal courts NERFINISHED ⓘ state courts ⓘ
hasLanguageType	prohibitory clause ⓘ
hasText	No State shall ... pass any ... Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts ⓘ
historicalContext	drafted during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 ⓘ
historicalImportance	central to early Supreme Court protection of economic rights ⓘ
inspiredBy	concerns about debtor-relief laws under the Articles of Confederation ⓘ
interpretedBy	Supreme Court of the United States ⓘ
legalEffect	limits state police power over private contracts ⓘ protects the obligation of existing contracts ⓘ
locatedInDocument	United States Constitution NERFINISHED ⓘ
majorCase	Allied Structural Steel Co. v. Spannaus NERFINISHED ⓘ Energy Reserves Group, Inc. v. Kansas Power & Light Co. NERFINISHED ⓘ Home Building & Loan Association v. Blaisdell NERFINISHED ⓘ United States Trust Co. v. New Jersey NERFINISHED ⓘ
modernInterpretation	allows reasonable and necessary state regulation of contracts for legitimate public purposes ⓘ
partOf	Article I of the United States Constitution NERFINISHED ⓘ Article I, Section 10 of the United States Constitution NERFINISHED ⓘ
prohibits	state laws impairing the obligation of contracts ⓘ state laws that retroactively interfere with existing contracts ⓘ
protects	vested contractual rights ⓘ
protectsAgainst	state alteration of contractual remedies in a way that substantially impairs obligations ⓘ state repudiation of their own contractual obligations ⓘ
relatedTo	Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment NERFINISHED ⓘ Impairment of contracts doctrine NERFINISHED ⓘ Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment NERFINISHED ⓘ
scope	applies to state laws with retroactive effect on contracts ⓘ covers both public and private contracts ⓘ
subjectTo	judicial balancing of state police power and contract rights ⓘ

Referenced by (7)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge → hasLegalIssue → Contract Clause of the U.S. Constitution ⓘ

United States Trust Co. v. New Jersey → constitutionalProvisionInterpreted → Contract Clause of the U.S. Constitution ⓘ

this entity surface form: Contract Clause

Energy Reserves Group, Inc. v. Kansas Power & Light Co. → legalIssue → Contract Clause of the U.S. Constitution ⓘ

this entity surface form: Contract Clause of the United States Constitution

Energy Reserves Group, Inc. v. Kansas Power & Light Co. → holding → Contract Clause of the U.S. Constitution ⓘ

this entity surface form: The Kansas Natural Gas Price Protection Act did not violate the Contract Clause as applied to the contracts at issue.

Stone v. Mississippi → legalIssue → Contract Clause of the U.S. Constitution ⓘ

this entity surface form: Contract Clause of the United States Constitution

Yazoo land controversy resolution → legalBasis → Contract Clause of the U.S. Constitution ⓘ

this entity surface form: Contract Clause of the United States Constitution

4 Wheat. 518 → constitutionalProvisionInterpreted → Contract Clause of the U.S. Constitution ⓘ

this entity surface form: Contract Clause of the United States Constitution