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.

All labels observed (2)

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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
Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution
linked to: Commerce Clause
country 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
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
Justice Felix Frankfurter
linked to: Felix Frankfurter

Justice Frank Murphy
Justice Hugo L. Black
linked to: Hugo L. Black

Justice Owen J. Roberts
Justice Robert H. Jackson
linked to: Robert H. Jackson

Justice Stanley F. Reed
Justice William O. Douglas
linked to: William O. Douglas
jurisdiction United States federal jurisdiction
lawChallenged California Welfare and Institutions Code § 2615
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
pageInUnitedStatesReports 160
party Edwards
State of California
petitioner Edwards
priorHistory People v. Edwards, 35 Cal. App. 2d 673, 96 P.2d 379 (Cal. Ct. App. 1939)
respondent California
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

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

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

Shapiro v. Thompson relatedCase Edwards v. California
Edwards v. California fullName Edwards v. California
Edwards v. California priorHistory People v. Edwards, 35 Cal. App. 2d 673, 96 P.2d 379 (Cal. Ct. App. 1939)
linked to: Edwards v. California