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Pike v. Bruce Church, Inc., 397 U.S. 137 (1970)
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General SummaryThis case is from a collection containing the full text of over 16,000 Supreme Court cases from 1793 to the present. The body of Supreme Court decisions are, effectively, the final interpretation of the Constitution. Only an amendment to the Constitution can permanently overturn an interpretation and this has happened only four times in American history.
Pike v. Bruce Church, Inc., 397 U.S. 137 (1970)
Pike v. Bruce Church, Inc. No. 301 Argued January 13, 1970 Decided March 2, 1970 397 U.S. 137
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA
Syllabus
Appellee company grows cantaloupes of superior quality in Parker, Arizona. Since the company lacks packing sheds in Parker, it transports the cantaloupes to its nearby facilities in California, where they are sorted, inspected, packed, and shipped in containers that bear the name of the California packer. Appellant official, acting under the Arizona Fruit and Vegetable Standardization Act, which is designed to prevent deceptive packaging, entered an order prohibiting the company from shipping its cantaloupes outside the State unless they were packed in containers in a manner approved by appellant. Appellant contends that his order is necessary to ensure that the cantaloupes be identified as of Arizona origin. Appellee brought this suit for injunctive relief challenging the constitutionality of the order, which would have the effect of requiring appellee to build packing facilities in or near Parker at a cost of about $200,000. A three-judge District Court issued an injunction holding that the order constituted an unlawful burden on interstate commerce.
Held:
1. Appellant’s order burdens interstate commerce, since the cantaloupes were destined to be shipped from Arizona to an ascertainable location in California immediately after harvest, and application of the challenged statute would require an operation now conducted outside the State to be performed within the State so it can be regulated there. Pp. 140-142.
2. The burden on interstate commerce imposed by appellant’s order is unconstitutional, since Arizona’s minimal interest in identifying the origin of appellee’s cantaloupes to enhance the reputation of Arizona producers cannot justify subjecting appellee to the substantial capital expenditure of building and operating in Arizona a packing plant that it does not need. Pp. 142-146.
Affirmed.
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Chicago: U.S. Supreme Court, "Syllabus," Pike v. Bruce Church, Inc., 397 U.S. 137 (1970) in 397 U.S. 137 397 U.S. 138. Original Sources, accessed November 24, 2024, http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=6Z5KMNHJDZ8KVSC.
MLA: U.S. Supreme Court. "Syllabus." Pike v. Bruce Church, Inc., 397 U.S. 137 (1970), in 397 U.S. 137, page 397 U.S. 138. Original Sources. 24 Nov. 2024. http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=6Z5KMNHJDZ8KVSC.
Harvard: U.S. Supreme Court, 'Syllabus' in Pike v. Bruce Church, Inc., 397 U.S. 137 (1970). cited in 1970, 397 U.S. 137, pp.397 U.S. 138. Original Sources, retrieved 24 November 2024, from http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=6Z5KMNHJDZ8KVSC.
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