Home > Great American Court Cases > United States v. Lopez

Legal Citation: 514 U.S. 549 (1995)

Petitioner
United States

Respondent
Alfonso Lopez, Jr.

Petitioner's Claim
That it was left to Congress to decide what seriously affects interstate commerce and Congress found the Gun-Free School Zone Act constitutional under the Commerce Clause.

Justices for the Court
Anthony M. Kennedy, Sandra Day O'Connor, William H. Rehnquist (writing for the Court), Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas

Justices Dissenting
Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, David H. Souter, John Paul Stevens

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
26 April 1995

Decision
The Court stated that Congress had overstepped the bounds of the Commerce Clause; the act was deemed unconstitutional.

Significance
The decision dealt a large blow to Congress' attempts to cut down on...