Landmark Decisions in Supreme Court
By: Corey O'Keefe
Gibbons v. Ogden
Gibbons v. Ogden
Ogden had a state license to operate a steamboat in its waterways. Gibbons was given a federal license to operate a steamboat in New York waterways.
Ogden's defense
Ogden said Gibbons did not have the right to operate a steamboat because his federal license was invalid and the government did not have the power to regulate interstate waterways. New York State court sided with Ogden but the Supreme Court did not.
Supreme Court decision
The Supreme Court sided with Gibbons by reaching unanimous decision. The Constitution grants Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce and transportation.
Reason behind the decision
when state and federal laws conflict, the federal laws are given the supreme authority. Federal laws take precedence over state laws.
Florida v. HHS
Florida v. HHS (2012)
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 was created to make health insurance and health care. This would also make it more widely available.
Drawbacks
This required almost all Americans to maintain a minimum level of insurance. Some people were exempted because of their low income level. There would be a penalty for those who did not maintain a minimum level of insurance beginning in 2014.
Florida v. HHS
The laws also restricted insurance companies from deny coverage to sick people and charging differently for people in other communities.
The decision- Florida v. HHS
The final outcome was that the Affordable Care Act was upheld in the Supreme Court with a 5-4 decision. The reason to uphold this was because the Affordable Care Act supported the history and text of the constitution with its "minimum coverage provision".
NLRB v. Jones and Laughlin
NLRB v. Jones and Laughlin
The National Labor Relations Act was put into affect to make sure private employers did not stop employees from forming labor unions. Jones and Laughlin were against employees forming labor unions.
Jones and Laughlin sues NLRB
Jones and Laughlin Steel Company sued the National Labor Relations Board. The Steel Company also fired and discriminated against employees who attempted to unionize.
Jones and Laughlin
Jones and Laughlin Steel Company argued that the law is unconstitutional when it regulates events that occur entirely in a state. The Company was fearful of a worker strike.
The Decision- NLRB v. Jones and Laughlin
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the National Labor Relation Board. The Supreme Court said Congress has the power to regulate interstate activity even if it will affect interstate commerce. The firing of employees would affect interstate commerce.