Constitutional Law Keyed to Chemerinsky
South Carolina State Highway Department v. Barnwell Brothers, Inc
Facts
South Carolina passed a law that prohibited trucks of a certain weight and width to use their state highways. Specifically, trucks could not use South Carolina’s highways if their width exceeded 90 inches and if their total weight exceeded 20,000 pounds. The Plaintiff challenged the state law as an unconstitutional burden on interstate commerce, in violation of the Constitution’s commerce clause. The district court enjoined enforcement of these regulations, determining that they would seriously impede motor truck traffic passing to and through the state and would increase its cost.
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