United States v. Darby
United States Supreme Court
312 U.S. 100, 61 S. Ct. 451, 85 L. Ed. 609 (1941)
- Written by Megan Petersen, JD
Facts
In 1938, Congress enacted the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Among other things, the FLSA required that employers pay workers a federally set minimum wage and overtime pay. However, the FLSA applied only if the workers were either (1) actually engaged in interstate commerce or (2) engaged in the production of goods to be sold in interstate commerce. Fred Darby (defendant) owned a company that cut trees into lumber at a Georgia factory and shipped the lumber to customers in Georgia and other states. Darby paid the workers at his Georgia factory less than minimum wage and did not pay them overtime. The United States government charged Darby with violating criminal provisions in the FLSA. Darby sought to dismiss the indictment on the grounds that the FLSA was unconstitutional, arguing that Congress was not authorized to regulate manufacturing work that occurred entirely within a single state. The federal district court held that the FLSA was unconstitutional and dismissed the indictment. The federal government appealed directly to the United States Supreme Court.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Stone, J.)
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