Great American Court Cases | Champion v. Ames

Legal Citation: 188 U.S. 321 (1903)

Appellant
Charles F. Champion

Appellee
John C. Ames

Appellant's Claim
That a federal statute prohibiting the carrying of lottery tickets across state lines was unconstitutional.

Chief Lawyer for Appellant
Moritz Rosenthal

Chief Lawyer for Appellee
Beck, Assistant Attorney General

Justices for the Court
Henry Billings Brown, John Marshall Harlan I (writing for the Court), Oliver Wendell Holmes, Joseph McKenna, Edward Douglass White

Justices Dissenting
David Josiah Brewer, Melville Weston Fuller, Rufus Wheeler Peckham, George Shiras, Jr.

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
23 February 1903

Decision
Lottery tickets were traffic and carrying them from one state to another was interstate commerce. Under its power to...