Supreme Court of New Hampshire v. Piper

Appellant

Supreme Court of New Hampshire

Appellee

Kathryn A. Piper

Appellant's Claim

That the New Hampshire state law limiting admission to the bar to residents did not violate the Constitution's Privileges and Immunities Clause.

Chief Lawyer for Appellant

Martin L. Gross

Chief Lawyer for Appellee

Jon Meyer

Justices for the Court

Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan, Jr., Warren E. Burger, Thurgood Marshall, Sandra Day O'Connor, Lewis F. Powell, Jr. (writing for the Court), John Paul Stevens, Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting

William H. Rehnquist

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

4 March 1985

Decision

The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit that New Hampshire's limiting of bar admission to state residents violated the Privileges and Immunities Clause.

Significance

The practice of law was held to be a business like any other, protected by the federal guarantee against state-to-state discrimination.

Related Cases

• Baldwin v. Montana Fish and Game Commission, 436 U.S. 371 (1978).
• Hicklin v. Orbeck, 437 U.S. 518 (1978).

Further Readings

• Biskupic, Joan, and Elder Witt, eds. Congressional Quarterly's Guide to the U.S. Supreme Court, 3rd ed. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly, Inc., 1996.