WABASH ST LOUIS PACIFIC RAILWAY COMPANY V ILLINOIS 118 U.S 557 1886 WABASH V ILLINOIS U.S CONSTITUTION U.S GOV'T JUDICIAL BUSINESS/COMMERCE U.S GOVERNMENT AND CONSTITUTION SIGNIFICANCE THROUGH ITS RULING IN THIS CASE THE SUPREME COURT AFFIRMED THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S RIGHT TO CONTROL INTERSTATE COMMERCE THE RULING HELD THAT STATES HAD NO POWER TO REGULATE RAILROAD RATES FOR INTERSTATE SHIPMENTS IN RESPONSE TO THE DECISION CONGRESS ESTABLISHED THE INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION WHICH REGULATED RAILROADS PARTICIPATING IN INTERSTATE COMMERCE BACKGROUND TO REGULATE THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY THE ILLINOIS LEGISLATURE ENACTED A LAW THAT OUTLAWED DISCRIMINATION IN TRANSPORTATION RATES THE WABASH ST LOUIS PACIFIC RAILROAD CHARGED TWO COMPANIES DIFFERENT RATES ON THE SAME DAY FOR TRANSPORTING GOODS FROM ILLINOIS TO NEW YORK WABASH CHARGED ELDER MCKINNEY 15 CENTS PER ONE HUNDRED POUNDS AND BAILEY SWANELL 25 CENTS PER ONE HUNDRED POUNDS ILLINOIS FOUND THE WABASH RAILROAD IN VIOLATION OF ITS RATE LAW THE RAILROAD COMPANY APPEALED THE DECISION TO THE SUPREME COURT WABASH ARGUED THAT THE RATES WERE FOR THE ENTIRE TRIP AND COULD NOT BE SEPARATED INTO THE RATE CHARGED IN ILLINOIS OR THE OTHER STATES THROUGH WHICH THE SHIPMENT TRAVELED THUS THE ILLINOIS LAW INFRINGED ON THE CONGRESSIONAL POWER TO REGULATE INTERSTATE COMMERCE DECISION THIS CASE WAS ARGUED ON APRIL 14 15 1886 AND DECIDED ON OCTOBER 25 1886 BY A VOTE OF 6 TO 3 JUSTICE SAMUEL MILLER SPOKE FOR THE COURT JUSTICES JOSEPH BRADLEY MORRISON WAITE AND HORACE GRAY DISSENTED THE MAJORITY DECISION OVERTURNED PREVIOUS SUPREME COURT DECISIONS ON THE REGULATION OF RAILROADS THE COURT STATED THAT STATES COULD ONLY ENACT LAWS THAT WOULD INDIRECTLY AFFECT INTERSTATE COMMERCE RATE REGULATIONS WERE CONSIDERED DIRECT BURDENS ON COMMERCE AND THUS BEYOND THE POWER OF AN INDIVIDUAL STATE EXCERPT FROM THE OPINION OF THE COURT AS RESTRICTED TO A TRANSPORTATION WHICH BEGINS AND ENDS WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE STATE IT MAY BE VERY JUST AND EQUITABLE AND IT CERTAINLY IS THE PROVINCE OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE TO DETERMINE THAT QUESTION BUT WHEN IT IS ATTEMPTED TO APPLY TO TRANSPORTATION THROUGH AN ENTIRE SERIES OF STATES A PRINCIPLE OF THIS KIND AND EACH ONE OF THE STATES SHALL ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH ITS OWN RATES OF TRANSPORTATION ITS OWN METHODS TO PREVENT DISCRIMINATION IN RATES OR TO PERMIT IT THE DELETERIOUS INFLUENCE UPON THE FREEDOM OF COMMERCE AMONG THE STATES AND UPON THE TRANSIT OF GOODS THROUGH THOSE STATES CANNOT BE OVERESTIMATED THAT THIS SPECIES OF REGULATION IS ONE WHICH MUST BE IF ESTABLISHED AT ALL OF A GENERAL AND NATIONAL CHARACTER AND CANNOT BE SAFELY AND WISELY REMITTED TO LOCAL RULES AND LOCAL REGULATIONS WE THINK IS CLEAR
