Southern Railway Co. v. United States

Southern Railway Company v. United States, 222 U.S. 20 (1911),^[1] was a decision by the United States Supreme Court which held that under the Commerce Clause, the U.S. Congress can regulate safety on intrastate rail traffic because there is a close and substantial connection to interstate traffic.

Congress had required that all train cars be equipped with couplers as a safety measure. Southern Railway argued that the requirement only applied to train cars crossing state lines and not train cars that operated inside one state.

Facts of the Case

The Safety Appliance Act of March 2, 1893, 27 Stat. 531, c. 196:

...imposed upon every carrier "engaged in interstate commerce by railroad" the duty of equipping all trains, locomotives, and cars used on its line of railroad in moving interstate traffic, with designated appliances calculated to promote the safety of that traffic...

Holding

The Commerce Clause is plenary to protect persons and property moving in interstate commerce from all danger. No matter the source or destination, U.S. Congress may require all vehicles moving on lanes of interstate commerce to be so equipped with safety devices to avoid danger to persons and property moving in interstate commerce.

See also

• Henderson v. United States
• List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 222

References

1. ↑ FindLaw | Cases and Codes

External links

• Southern Railway Company v. United States - Full Text of the Decision