Interstate Commerce
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation that occurs across state lines. The Constitution grants Congress the exclusive power to regulate this commerce, preventing states from erecting trade barriers against one another.
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation that occurs across state lines. The Constitution grants Congress the exclusive power to regulate this commerce, preventing states from erecting trade barriers against one another.
Example: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 relied heavily on the Commerce Clause to outlaw discrimination in public accommodations, arguing that discrimination obstructed the flow of interstate commerce — a rationale the Supreme Court upheld in Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States (1964).
Common misconception: Interstate commerce only applies to goods physically crossing state lines. The Supreme Court has interpreted this power broadly to include activities that ‘substantially affect’ interstate commerce, including the regulation of wheat grown for personal consumption (Wickard v. Filburn, 1942).
Sources: https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/article-1/section-8/ — Constitution Annotated, Art. I, §8, cl. 3 (Commerce Clause) and its discussion of Wickard v. Filburn and Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States; https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-78/pdf/STATUTE-78-Pg241.pdf — Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title II (public accommodations), on govinfo