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South Dakota v. Dole

United States Supreme Court
483 U.S. 203, 107 S. Ct. 2793, 97 L. Ed. 2D 171 (1987)

Written by Megan Petersen, JD

Facts

A law in South Dakota (plaintiff) allowed people over the age of 19 to buy beer containing up to 3.2 percent alcohol. In 1984, Congress passed a federal law directing the secretary of transportation, Elizabeth Dole (defendant), to withhold up to 5 percent of a state's federal highway-safety funds if the state allowed people under the age of 21 to buy alcohol. South Dakota sued Dole and the United States government in federal district court, seeking a declaration that the law was unconstitutional because it violated (1) the limits on Congress’s spending power and (2) the Twenty-First Amendment (which repealed prohibition). The district court ruled that the federal law was constitutional, and the court of appeals affirmed. The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari.

Rule of Law

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Issue

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Holding and Reasoning (Rehnquist, C.J.)

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A "yes" or "no" answer to the question framed in the issue section;
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Dissent (Brennan, J.)

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Dissent (O’Connor, J.)

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