Leisy v. Hardin - Significance

Appellants

Gus Leisy & Co., et al.

Appellee

A. J. Hardin

Appellants' Claim

That the laws under which property was seized from the appellants were unconstitutional, as they assumed powers reserved only for Congress.

Chief Lawyer for Appellants

James C. Davis

Chief Lawyers for Appellee

H. Scott Howell, William B. Collins, John Y. Stone

Justices for the Court

Samuel Blatchford, Joseph P. Bradley, David Davis, Stephen Johnson Field, Melville Weston Fuller (writing for the Court), Lucius Quintus C. Lamar

Justices Dissenting

David Josiah Brewer, Horace Gray, John Marshall Harlan I

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

28 April 1890

Decision

Overturned the decision of the Iowa Supreme Court, ruling for the return of the appellants' property, which had been confiscated by the state under laws that were declared unconstitutional.

Related Cases

• Brown v. Maryland, 12 Wheat. 419 (1827).
• Mugler v. Kansas, 123 U.S. 623 (1887).
• Bowman v. Railway Co., 125 U.S. 465 (1888).

Further Readings

• Biskupic, Joan, and Elder Witt, eds. Guide to the U.S. Supreme Court. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly, Inc., 1997.
• Witt, Elder, ed. The Supreme Court A to Z. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly, Inc., 1993.