SmartBrief
Confirm favorite deletion?
Constitutional Law Keyed to Choper
United States v. Constantine
Citation:
296 U.S. 287 (1935)Facts
Constantine operated as a retail liquor dealer in Birmingham, Alabama. He paid the regular federal tax of $25 required for all liquor dealers but was subsequently convicted of violating Alabama’s state liquor laws. Following this state conviction, federal authorities charged him with failure to pay an additional special excise tax of $1,000 imposed by the Revenue Act of 1926 on dealers operating in violation of state law. The tax was 40 times higher than the regular tax and was only triggered by a violation of state law. Constantine challenged the constitutionality of this special tax, arguing it was not a genuine revenue measure but rather a penalty designed to enforce state prohibition laws, which fell outside federal authority.
Only StudyBuddy Pro offers the complete Case Brief Anatomy*
Access the most important case brief elements for optimal case understanding.
*Case Brief Anatomy includes: Brief Prologue, Complete Case Brief, Brief Epilogue
- The Brief Prologue provides necessary case brief introductory information and includes:
Topic:
Identifies the topic of law and where this case fits within your course outline.Parties:
Identifies the cast of characters involved in the case.Procedural Posture & History:
Shares the case history with how lower courts have ruled on the matter.Case Key Terms, Acts, Doctrines, etc.:
A case specific Legal Term Dictionary.Case Doctrines, Acts, Statutes, Amendments and Treatises:
Identifies and Defines Legal Authority used in this case.
- The Case Brief is the complete case summarized and authored in the traditional Law School I.R.A.C. format. The Pro case brief includes:
Brief Facts:
A Synopsis of the Facts of the case.Rule of Law:
Identifies the Legal Principle the Court used in deciding the case.Facts:
What are the factual circumstances that gave rise to the civil or criminal case? What is the relationship of the Parties that are involved in the case.Issue(s):
Lists the Questions of Law that are raised by the Facts of the case.Holding:
Shares the Court's answer to the legal questions raised in the issue.Concurring / Dissenting Opinions:
Includes valuable concurring or dissenting opinions and their key points.Reasoning and Analysis:
Identifies the chain of argument(s) which led the judges to rule as they did.
- The Brief Prologue closes the case brief with important forward-looking discussion and includes:
Policy:
Identifies the Policy if any that has been established by the case.Court Direction:
Shares where the Court went from here for this case.