History worth knowing
A 1942 wheat farmer limited Federal power
11 min
Roscoe Filburn grew extra wheat just for his own cows, but the Supreme Court ruled the government could stop him to control interstate prices. This decision created the legal loophole that allows Congress to regulate almost any local activity today.
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Show notes
Roscoe Filburn was fined one hundred seventeen dollars for planting twelve acres of wheat over his federal limit.
The government argued that growing wheat for personal use reduces market demand and affects interstate commerce.
The aggregation principle allows federal regulation if many small individual actions create a substantial economic effect.
A unanimous Supreme Court ruling in nineteen forty-two ended the legal distinction between production and commerce.
This case provided the legal foundation for the nineteen sixty-four Civil Rights Act to regulate local businesses.
Modern federal authority over home-grown goods like medical marijuana still relies on this nineteen forty-two wheat ruling.
In this episode
- 1Intro1 min
- 2The Farmer and the Fine2 min
- 3The Commerce Clause Conflict3 min
- 4The Aggregation Principle2 min
- 5The Modern Loophole2 min
- 6Outro1 min
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