u.s. vs. lopez 115 s.ct. 1624

8/9/2019 U.S. vs. Lopez 115 S.Ct. 1624

1/54

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8/9/2019 U.S. vs. Lopez 115 S.Ct. 1624

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Supreme Court of the United StatesUNITED STATES, Petitioner

v.

Alfonso LOPEZ, Jr.

No. 93-1260.

Argued Nov. 8, 1994.

Decided April 26, 1995.

Defendant was convicted in the United States Dis-

trict Court for the Western District of Texas, H.F.

Garcia, J., of possessing firearm in school zone in

violation of Gun-Free School Zones Act, and he ap-pealed. The Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit,

Garwood, Circuit Judge, 2 F.3d 1342, reversed and

remanded with directions, and government peti-

tioned for certiorari review. After granting certior-

ari, 114 S.Ct. 1536, the United States Supreme

Court, Chief Justice Rehnquist, held that Gun-Free

School Zones Act, making it federal offense for any

individual knowingly to possess firearm at place

that individual knows or has reasonable cause to

believe is school zone, exceeded Congress' com-

merce clause authority, since possession of gun in

local school zone was not economic activity that

substantially affected interstate commerce.

Affirmed.

Justice Kennedy filed concurring opinion in which

Justice O'Connor joined.

Justice Thomas filed concurring opinion.

Justices Stevens and Souter filed dissenting opin-

ions.

Justice Breyer filed dissenting opinion, in which

Justices Stevens, Souter and Ginsburg joined.

West Headnotes

[1] Commerce 83 5

83 Commerce

83I Power to Regulate in General

83k2 Constitutional Grant of Power to Con-

gress

83k5 k. Commerce among the states.

Most Cited Cases

Test for determining whether activity is within

Congress' power to regulate under commerce clause

is whether it substantially affects interstate com-

merce. U.S.C.A. Const. Art. 1, 8, cl. 3.

[2] Commerce 83 5

83 Commerce



gress

83k5 k. Commerce among the states.

Most Cited Cases

Where economic activity substantially affects inter-

state commerce, federal legislation regulating that

activity will be sustained. U.S.C.A. Const. Art. 1,

8, cl. 3.

[3] Criminal Law 110 5

110 Criminal Law

110I Nature and Elements of Crime

110k2 Power to Define and Punish Crime

110k5 k. States. Most Cited Cases

States 360 4.4(2)

360 States

360I Political Status and Relations

360I(A) In General

360k4.4 Powers Reserved to States

360k4.4(2) k. Police power. Most

Cited Cases

Under federal system, states possess primary au-

thority for defining and enforcing criminal law.

[4] Commerce 83 82.50

83 Commerce

115 S.Ct. 1624 Page 1

514 U.S. 549, 115 S.Ct. 1624, 131 L.Ed.2d 626, 63 USLW 4343, 99 Ed. Law Rep. 24

(Cite as: 514 U.S. 549, 115 S.Ct. 1624)

2010 Thomson Reuters. No Claim to Orig. US Gov. Works.
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83II Application to Particular Subjects and

Methods of Regulation

83II(K) Miscellaneous Subjects and Regula-

tions

83k82.50 k. Weapons and explosives.

Most Cited Cases

Weapons 406 106(4)

406 Weapons

406I In General

406k102 Constitutional, Statutory, and Regu-

latory Provisions

406k106 Validity

406k106(4) k. Violation of other rights

or provisions. Most Cited Cases

(Formerly 406k3)

Gun-Free School Zones Act, which makes it federal

offense for any individual knowingly to possess

firearm in place that individual believes or has reas-

onable cause to believe is school zone, exceeded

Congress' commerce clause authority; Act was

criminal statute that by its terms had nothing to do

with commerce or any sort of economic enter-

prise, however broadly defined; possession of gun

in local school zone was not economic activity that

might, through repetition elsewhere, substantially

affect any sort of interstate commerce; and statutecontained no jurisdictional element to ensure,

through case-by-case inquiry, that possession of

firearm had any concrete tie to interstate commerce.

U.S.C.A. Const. Art. 1, 8, cl. 3; 18 U.S.C.(1988

Ed.) 922(q)(1)(A).

[5] Commerce 83 5

83 Commerce



gress83k5 k. Commerce among the states.

Most Cited Cases

Congress normally is not required to make formal

findings as to substantial burdens that activity has

on interstate commerce to establish constitutional-

ity of legislation under commerce clause. U.S.C.A.

Const. Art. 1, 8, cl. 3.

[6] Commerce 83 82.20

83 Commerce83II Application to Particular Subjects and

Methods of Regulation

83II(K) Miscellaneous Subjects and Regula-

tions

83k82.20 k. Subjects and regulations in

general. Most Cited Cases

Congressional authority under commerce clause to

regulate numerous commercial activities that sub-

stantially affect interstate commerce and also affect

educational process, though broad, does not include

authority to regulate each and every aspect of local

schools. U.S.C.A. Const. Art. 1, 8, cl. 3.

West Codenotes

Prior Version Held Unconstitutional18 U.S.C.A.

922(q)(1)(A).

**1625 *549 SyllabusFN*

FN* The syllabus constitutes no part of the

opinion of the Court but has been prepared

by the Reporter of Decisions for the con-

venience of the reader. See United States v.

Detroit Lumber Co., 200 U.S. 321, 337, 26

S.Ct. 282, 287, 50 L.Ed. 499.

After respondent, then a 12th-grade student, carried

a concealed handgun into his high school, he was

charged with violating the Gun-Free School Zones

Act of 1990, which forbids any individual know-

ingly to possess a firearm at a place that [he] knows

... is a school zone, 18 U.S.C. 922(q)(1)(A). The

District Court denied his motion to dismiss the in-

dictment, concluding that 922(q) is a constitution-

al exercise of Congress' power to regulate activities

in and affecting commerce. In reversing, the Court

of Appeals held that, in light of what it character-

ized as insufficient congressional findings and le-

gislative history, 922(q) is invalid as beyond Con-

gress' power under the Commerce Clause.

Held: The Act exceeds Congress' Commerce

115 S.Ct. 1624 Page 2


(Cite as: 514 U.S. 549, 115 S.Ct. 1624)

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4/54

Clause authority. First, although this Court has up-

held a wide variety of congressional Acts regulating

intrastate economic activity that substantially af-

fected interstate commerce, the possession of a gun

in a local school zone is in no sense an economic

activity that might, through repetition elsewhere,

have such a substantial effect on interstate com-

merce. Section 922(q) is a criminal statute that by

its terms has nothing to do with commerce or any

sort of economic enterprise, however broadly those

terms are defined. Nor is it an essential part of a

larger regulation of economic activity, in which the

regulatory scheme could be undercut unless the in-

trastate activity were regulated. It cannot, therefore,

be sustained under the Court's cases upholding reg-

ulations of activities that arise out of or are connec-ted with a commercial transaction, which, viewed

in the aggregate, substantially affects interstate

commerce. Second, 922(q) contains no jurisdic-

tional element that would ensure, through case-

by-case inquiry, that the firearms possession in

question has the requisite nexus with interstate

commerce. Respondent was a local student at a loc-

al school; there is no indication that he had recently

moved in interstate commerce, and there is no re-

quirement that his possession of the firearm have

any concrete tie to interstate commerce. To uphold

the Government's contention that 922(q) is justi-

fied because firearms possession in a local school

zone does indeed substantially affect interstate

commerce would require this Court to pile infer-

ence upon inference in a manner that would bid fair

to convert congressional Commerce Clause *550

authority to a general police power of the sort held

only by the States. Pp. 1626-1634.

2 F.3d 1342, (CA5 1993), affirmed.

REHNQUIST, C.J., delivered the opinion of the

Court, in which O'CONNOR, SCALIA,

KENNEDY, and THOMAS, JJ., joined.

KENNEDY, J., filed a concurring opinion, in which

O'CONNOR, J., joined, post, p. 1634. THOMAS,

J., filed a concurring opinion, post, p. 1642.

STEVENS, J., post, p. 1651, and SOUTER, J., post,

p. 1651, filed dissenting opinions. BREYER, J.,

filed a dissenting opinion, in which STEVENS,

SOUTER, and GINSBURG, JJ., joined, post, p.

1657.

Drew S. Days, III, New Haven, CT, for petitioner.

John R. Carter, Georgetown, TX, for respondent.

For U.S. Supreme Court briefs, see:1994 WL

242541 (Pet.Brief)1994 WL 396915

(Resp.Brief)1994 WL 449691 (Reply.Brief)1994

WL 534698 (Pet.Supp.Brief)

**1626 *551 Chief Justice REHNQUIST delivered

the opinion of the Court.

In the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, Con-gress made it a federal offense for any individual

knowingly to possess a firearm at a place that the

individual knows, or has reasonable cause to be-

lieve, is a school zone. 18 U.S.C. 922(q)(1)(A)

(1988 ed., Supp. V). The Act neither regulates a

commercial activity nor contains a requirement that

the possession be connected in any way to interstate

commerce. We hold that the Act exceeds the au-

thority of Congress [t]o regulate Commerce ...

among the several States.... U.S. Const., Art. I,

8, cl. 3.

On March 10, 1992, respondent, who was then a

12th-grade student, arrived at Edison High School

in San Antonio, Texas, carrying a concealed

.38-caliber handgun and five bullets. Acting upon

an anonymous tip, school authorities confronted re-

spondent, who admitted that he was carrying the

weapon. He was arrested and charged under Texas

law with firearm possession on school premises.

See Tex.Penal Code Ann. 46.03(a)(1)

(Supp.1994). The next day, the state charges were

dismissed after federal agents charged respondent

by complaint with violating the Gun-Free School

Zones Act of 1990. 18 U.S.C. 922(q)(1)(A) (1988

ed., Supp. V).FN1

FN1. The term school zone is defined as

in, or on the grounds of, a public, parochi-

115 S.Ct. 1624 Page 3


(Cite as: 514 U.S. 549, 115 S.Ct. 1624)

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al or private school or within a distance

of 1,000 feet from the grounds of a public,

parochial or private school. 921(a)(25).

A federal grand jury indicted respondent on one

count of knowing possession of a firearm at a

school zone, in violation of 922(q). Respondent

moved to dismiss his federal indictment on the

ground that 922(q) is unconstitutional as it is

beyond the power of Congress to legislate control

over our public schools. The District Court denied

the motion, concluding that 922(q) is a constitu-

tional exercise of Congress' well-defined power to

regulate activities in and affecting *552 commerce,

and the business' of elementary, middle and high

schools ... affects interstate commerce. App. toPet. for Cert. 55a. Respondent waived his right to a

jury trial. The District Court conducted a bench tri-

al, found him guilty of violating 922(q), and sen-

tenced him to six months' imprisonment and two

years' supervised release.

On appeal, respondent challenged his conviction

based on his claim that 922(q) exceeded Con-

gress' power to legislate under the Commerce

Clause. The Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

agreed and reversed respondent's conviction. It held

that, in light of what it characterized as insufficientcongressional findings and legislative history,

section 922(q), in the full reach of its terms, is in-

valid as beyond the power of Congress under the

Commerce Clause. 2 F.3d 1342, 1367-1368 (1993)

. Because of the importance of the issue, we granted

certiorari, 511 U.S. 1029, 114 S.Ct. 1536, 128

L.Ed.2d 189 (1994), and we now affirm.

We start with first principles. The Constitution cre-

ates a Federal Government of enumerated powers.

See Art. I, 8. As James Madison wrote: The

powers delegated by the proposed Constitution tothe federal government are few and defined. Those

which are to remain in the State governments are

numerous and indefinite. The Federalist No. 45,

pp. 292-293 (C. Rossiter ed. 1961). This constitu-

tionally mandated division of authority was adop-

ted by the Framers to ensure protection of our fun-

damental liberties. Gregory v. Ashcroft, 501 U.S.

452, 458, 111 S.Ct. 2395, 2400, 115 L.Ed.2d 4 10

(1991) (internal quotation marks omitted). Just as

the separation and independence of the coordinate

branches of the Federal Government serve to pre-

vent the accumulation of excessive power in any

one branch, a healthy balance of power between the

States and the Federal Government will reduce the

risk of tyranny and abuse from either front. Ibid.

The Constitution delegates to Congress the power

[t]o regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and

among the several States, and with the Indian

Tribes. *553Art. I, 8, cl. 3. The Court, through

Chief Justice Marshall, first defined the nature of

Congress'**1627 commerce power in Gibbons v.Ogden, 9 Wheat. 1, 189-190, 6 L.Ed. 23 (1824):

Commerce, undoubtedly, is traffic, but it is

something more: it is intercourse. It describes the

commercial intercourse between nations, and

parts of nations, in all its branches, and is regu-

lated by prescribing rules for carrying on that in-

tercourse.

The commerce power is the power to regulate; that

is, to prescribe the rule by which commerce is to be

governed. This power, like all others vested in con-gress, is complete in itself, may be exercised to its

utmost extent, and acknowledges no limitations,

other than are prescribed in the constitution. Id., at

196. The Gibbons Court, however, acknowledged

that limitations on the commerce power are inher-

ent in the very language of the Commerce Clause.

It is not intended to say that these words com-

prehend that commerce, which is completely in-

ternal, which is carried on between man and man

in a State, or between different parts of the same

State, and which does not extend to or affect oth-

er States. Such a power would be inconvenient,and is certainly unnecessary.

Comprehensive as the word among is, it may

very properly be restricted to that commerce

which concerns more States than one.... The enu-

meration presupposes something not enumerated;

115 S.Ct. 1624 Page 4


(Cite as: 514 U.S. 549, 115 S.Ct. 1624)

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8/9/2019 U.S. vs. Lopez 115 S.Ct. 1624

6/54

and that something, if we regard the language, or

the subject of the sentence, must be the exclus-

ively internal commerce of a State. Id., at

194-195.

For nearly a century thereafter, the Court's Com-

merce Clause decisions dealt but rarely with the ex-

tent of Congress' power, and almost entirely with

the Commerce Clause as a limit on state legislation

that discriminated against interstate commerce. See,

e.g., Veazie v. Moor, 14 How. 568, 573-575, 14

L.Ed. 545 (1853) (upholding a state-created steam-

boat monopoly*554 because it involved regulation

of wholly internal commerce); Kidd v. Pearson,

128 U.S. 1, 17, 20-22, 9 S.Ct. 6, 9-10, 32 L.Ed. 346

(1888) (upholding a state prohibition on the manu-facture of intoxicating liquor because the commerce

power does not comprehend the purely internal

domestic commerce of a State which is carried on

between man and man within a State or between

different parts of the same State); see also L.

Tribe, American Constitutional Law 306 (2d ed.

1988). Under this line of precedent, the Court held

that certain categories of activity such as

production, manufacturing, and mining were

within the province of state governments, and thus

were beyond the power of Congress under the

Commerce Clause. See Wickard v. Filburn, 317U.S. 111, 121, 63 S.Ct. 82, 87, 87 L.Ed. 122 (1942)

(describing development of Commerce Clause jur-

isprudence).

In 1887, Congress enacted the Interstate Commerce

Act, 24 Stat. 379, and in 1890, Congress enacted

the Sherman Antitrust Act, 26 Stat. 209, as

amended, 15 U.S.C. 1 et seq. These laws ushered

in a new era of federal regulation under the com-

merce power. When cases involving these laws first

reached this Court, we imported from our negative

Commerce Clause cases the approach that Congress

could not regulate activities such as production,

manufacturing, and mining. See, e.g., United

States v. E.C. Knight Co., 156 U.S. 1, 12, 15 S.Ct.

249, 253-254, 39 L.Ed. 325 (1895) (Commerce

succeeds to manufacture, and is not part of it);

Carter v. Carter Coal Co., 298 U.S. 238, 304, 56

S.Ct. 855, 869, 80 L.Ed. 1160 (1936) (Mining

brings the subject matter of commerce into exist-

ence. Commerce disposes of it). Simultaneously,

however, the Court held that, where the interstate

and intrastate aspects of commerce were so mingled

together that full regulation of interstate commerce

required incidental regulation of intrastate com-

merce, the Commerce Clause authorized such regu-

lation. See, e.g., Shreveport Rate Cases, 234 U.S.

342, 34 S.Ct. 833, 58 L.Ed. 1341 (1914).

In A.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States,

295 U.S. 495, 550, 55 S.Ct. 837, 851-52, 79 L.Ed.

1570 (1935), the Court struck down regulations that

*555 fixed the hours and wages of individuals em-ployed by an intrastate business because the activ-

ity being regulated related to interstate commerce

only indirectly. In doing so, the Court characterized

the distinction between **1628 direct and indirect

effects of intrastate transactions upon interstate

commerce as a fundamental one, essential to the

maintenance of our constitutional system. Id., at

548, 55 S.Ct., at 851. Activities that affected inter-

state commerce directly were within Congress'

power; activities that affected interstate commerce

indirectly were beyond Congress' reach. Id., at 546,

55 S.Ct., at 850. The justification for this formaldistinction was rooted in the fear that otherwise

there would be virtually no limit to the federal

power and for all practical purposes we should have

a completely centralized government. Id., at 548,

55 S.Ct., at 851.

Two years later, in the watershed case of NLRB v.

Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp., 301 U.S. 1, 57 S.Ct.

615, 81 L.Ed. 893 (1937), the Court upheld the Na-

tional Labor Relations Act against a Commerce

Clause challenge, and in the process, departed from

the distinction between direct and indirect ef-

fects on interstate commerce. Id., at 36-38, 57

S.Ct., at 623-624 (The question [of the scope of

Congress' power] is necessarily one of degree).

The Court held that intrastate activities that have

such a close and substantial relation to interstate

115 S.Ct. 1624 Page 5


(Cite as: 514 U.S. 549, 115 S.Ct. 1624)

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8/9/2019 U.S. vs. Lopez 115 S.Ct. 1624

7/54

commerce that their control is essential or appropri-

ate to protect that commerce from burdens and ob-

structions are within Congress' power to regulate.

Id., at 37, 57 S.Ct., at 624.

In United States v. Darby, 312 U.S. 100, 61 S.Ct.

451, 85 L.Ed. 609 (1941), the Court upheld the Fair

Labor Standards Act, stating:

The power of Congress over interstate com-

merce is not confined to the regulation of com-

merce among the states. It extends to those activ-

ities intrastate which so affect interstate com-

merce or the exercise of the power of Congress

over it as to make regulation of them appropriate

means to the attainment of a legitimate end, the

exercise of the granted power of Congress to reg-

ulate interstate commerce. Id., at 118, 61 S.Ct.,

at 459.

*556 See also United States v. Wrightwood Dairy

Co., 315 U.S. 110, 119, 62 S.Ct. 523, 526, 86 L.Ed.

726 (1942) (the commerce power extends to those

intrastate activities which in a substantial way inter-

fere with or obstruct the exercise of the granted

power).

In Wickard v. Filburn, the Court upheld the applic-

ation of amendments to the Agricultural Adjust-

ment Act of 1938 to the production and consump-

tion of homegrown wheat. 317 U.S., at 128-129, 63

S.Ct., at 90-91. The Wickard Court explicitly rejec-

ted earlier distinctions between direct and indirect

effects on interstate commerce, stating:

[E]ven if appellee's activity be local and though

it may not be regarded as commerce, it may still,

whatever its nature, be reached by Congress if it

exerts a substantial economic effect on interstate

commerce, and this irrespective of whether such

effect is what might at some earlier time have

been defined as direct or indirect. Id., at

125, 63 S.Ct., at 89.

The Wickard Court emphasized that although Fil-

burn's own contribution to the demand for wheat

may have been trivial by itself, that was not

enough to remove him from the scope of federal

regulation where, as here, his contribution, taken

together with that of many others similarly situated,

is far from trivial. Id., at 127-128, 63 S.Ct., at

90-91.

Jones & Laughlin Steel, Darby, and Wickard

ushered in an era of Commerce Clause jurispru-

dence that greatly expanded the previously defined

authority of Congress under that Clause. In part,

this was a recognition of the great changes that had

occurred in the way business was carried on in this

country. Enterprises that had once been local or at

most regional in nature had become national in

scope. But the doctrinal change also reflected aview that earlier Commerce Clause cases artifi-

cially had constrained the authority of Congress to

regulate interstate commerce.

But even these modern-era precedents which have

expanded congressional power under the Com-

merce Clause *557 confirm that this power is sub-

ject to outer limits. In Jones & Laughlin Steel, the

Court warned that the scope of the interstate com-

merce power must be considered in the light of our

dual system of government and may not be exten-

ded so as to embrace effects upon interstate com-merce so indirect and remote that **1629 to em-

brace them, in view of our complex society, would

effectually obliterate the distinction between what

is national and what is local and create a com-

pletely centralized government. 301 U.S., at 37, 57

S.Ct., at 624; see also Darby, supra, 312 U.S., at

119-120, 61 S.Ct., at 459-460 (Congress may regu-

late intrastate activity that has a substantial effect

on interstate commerce); Wickard, supra, at 125, 63

S.Ct., at 89 (Congress may regulate activity that

exerts a substantial economic effect on interstate

commerce). Since that time, the Court has heeded

that warning and undertaken to decide whether a ra-

tional basis existed for concluding that a regulated

activity sufficiently affected interstate commerce.

See, e.g., Hodel v. Virginia Surface Mining & Re-

clamation Assn., Inc., 452 U.S. 264, 276-280, 101

115 S.Ct. 1624 Page 6


(Cite as: 514 U.S. 549, 115 S.Ct. 1624)

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8/9/2019 U.S. vs. Lopez 115 S.Ct. 1624

8/54

S.Ct. 2352, 2360-2361, 69 L.Ed.2d 1 (1981); Perez

v. United States, 402 U.S. 146, 155-156, 91 S.Ct.

1357, 1362, 28 L.Ed.2d 686 (1971); Katzenbach v.

McClung, 379 U.S. 294, 299-301, 85 S.Ct. 377,

381-382, 13 L.Ed.2d 290 (1964); Heart of Atlanta

Motel, Inc. v. United States, 379 U.S. 241, 252-253,

85 S.Ct. 348, 354-355, 13 L.Ed.2d 258 (1964).FN2

FN2. See also Hodel, 452 U.S., at 311, 101

S.Ct., at 2391 ([S]imply because Con-

gress may conclude that a particular activ-

ity substantially affects interstate com-

merce does not necessarily make it so)

(REHNQUIST, J., concurring in judg-

ment); Heart of Atlanta Motel, 379 U.S., at

273, 85 S.Ct., at 366 ([W]hether particu-lar operations affect interstate commerce

sufficiently to come under the constitution-

al power of Congress to regulate them is

ultimately a judicial rather than a legislat-

ive question, and can be settled finally

only by this Court) (Black, J., concur-

ring).

Similarly, in Maryland v. Wirtz, 392 U.S. 183, 88

S.Ct. 2017, 20 L.Ed.2d 1020 (1968), the Court reaf-

firmed that the power to regulate commerce,

though broad indeed, has limits that [t]he Courthas ample power to enforce. Id., at 196, 88 S.Ct.,

at 2023-2024, overruled on other grounds, National

League of Cities v. Usery, 426 U.S. 833, 96 S.Ct.

2465, 49 L.Ed.2d 245 (1976), overruled by *558

Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Au-

thority, 469 U.S. 528, 105 S.Ct. 1005, 83 L.Ed.2d

1016 (1985). In response to the dissent's warnings

that the Court was powerless to enforce the limita-

tions on Congress' commerce powers because [a]ll

activities affecting commerce, even in the minutest

degree, [Wickard], may be regulated and controlled

by Congress, 392 U.S., at 204, 88 S.Ct., at 20 28

(Douglas, J., dissenting), the Wirtz Court replied

that the dissent had misread precedent as [n]either

here nor in Wickard has the Court declared that

Congress may use a relatively trivial impact on

commerce as an excuse for broad general regulation

of state or private activities, id., at 197, n. 27, 63

S.Ct., at 89-90, n. 27. Rather, [t]he Court has said

only that where a general regulatory statute bears

a substantial relation to commerce, the de minimis

character of individual instances arising under that

statute is of no consequence. Ibid. (first emphasis

added).

Consistent with this structure, we have identified

three broad categories of activity that Congress may

regulate under its commerce power. Perez, supra,

at 150, 91 S.Ct., at 1359; see also Hodel, supra, at

276-277, 101 S.Ct., at 2360-2361. First, Congress

may regulate the use of the channels of interstate

commerce. See, e.g., Darby, 312 U.S., at 114, 61

S.Ct., at 457; Heart of Atlanta Motel, supra, at 256,85 S.Ct., at 357 ( [T]he authority of Congress to

keep the channels of interstate commerce free from

immoral and injurious uses has been frequently sus-

tained, and is no longer open to question.

(quoting Caminetti v. United States, 242 U.S. 470,

491, 37 S.Ct. 192, 197, 61 L.Ed. 442 (1917))).

Second, Congress is empowered to regulate and

protect the instrumentalities of interstate commerce,

or persons or things in interstate commerce, even

though the threat may come only from intrastate

activities. See, e.g., Shreveport Rate Cases, 234

U.S. 342, 34 S.Ct. 833, 58 L.Ed. 1341 (1914);Southern R. Co. v. United States, 222 U.S. 20, 32

S.Ct. 2, 56 L.Ed. 72 (1911) (upholding amendments

to Safety Appliance Act as applied to vehicles used

in intrastate commerce); Perez, supra, at 150, 91

S.Ct., at 1359 ([F]or example, the destruction of

an aircraft (18 U.S.C. 32), or ... thefts from inter-

state shipments (18 U.S.C. 659)). Finally, Con-

gress' commerce authority includes the power to

regulate those activities*559 having a substantial

**1630 relation to interstate commerce, Jones &

Laughlin Steel, 301 U.S., at 37, 57 S.Ct., at 624,

i.e., those activities that substantially affect inter-

state commerce, Wirtz, supra, at 196, n. 27, 88

S.Ct., at 2024, n. 27.

[1] Within this final category, admittedly, our case

law has not been clear whether an activity must

115 S.Ct. 1624 Page 7


(Cite as: 514 U.S. 549, 115 S.Ct. 1624)

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