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Constitutional Law Keyed to Choper
Maine v. Taylor
Citation:
477 U.S. 131 (1986)Facts
In 1981, Robert J. Taylor, a Maine bait dealer, arranged to have 158,000 live golden shiners imported from outside the state. This importation violated a Maine statute that prohibited the importation of live baitfish. The statute was enacted to protect Maine’s native fisheries from parasites and non-native species that might be introduced through imported baitfish. Maine officials claimed that such parasites and non-native species could harm the state’s unique and fragile fisheries ecosystem. Taylor was prosecuted under the federal Lacey Act, which makes it a federal offense to import fish in violation of state law. At trial, Maine presented evidence that live baitfish imported from other states posed a significant threat to Maine’s fisheries, and that there were no less discriminatory means available to protect against this threat.
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