United States v. Carolene Products Co.

Facts of the case

A 1923 act of Congress banned the interstate shipment of "filled milk" (skimmed milk mixed with fat or oil other than milk fat). Carolene Products, a milk manufacturer, was indicted under the Act. The trial court dismissed the indictment. On appeal to the federal government, the court was tasked with determining whether the Act was unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment. Carolene Products argued that the law lacked rational basis and also that Congress did not regulate the use of oleomargarine, which substituted vegetable fats for butter fat, in interstate commerce.

Question

Does the law violate the Commerce Power granted to Congress in Article Section 8 and the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment?

Conclusion

In an opinion authored by Justice Harlan Fiske Stone, the Court upheld the act. The majority reasoned Congress may restrict shipments of certain milk substitutes without also restricting butter. Considering that Congress had held many hearings prior to passing this law, it was reasonable to conclude that Congress believed it was necessary for public welfare. Carolene Products failed to meet its burden of proving that no rational basis for the law existed.

Justice Pierce Butler concurred, and Justice James McReynolds dissented.

Supreme Court of the United States

304 U.S. 144, 82 L. Ed. 1234, 58 S. Ct. 778, SCDB 1937-045, 1938 U.S. LEXIS 1022

No. 640

1938-04-25

This book, and all H2O books, are Creative Commons licensed for sharing and re-use with the exception of certain excerpts. Any excerpts from the Restatements of the Law, Principles of the Law, and the Model Penal Code are copyright by The American Law Institute. Excerpts are reproduced with permission, not as part of a Creative Commons license.