Home > West's Encyclopedia of American Law > National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933

The National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 (NIRA) was one of the most important and daring measures of President FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT's NEW DEAL. It was enacted during the famous First Hundred Days of Roosevelt's first term in office and was the centerpiece of his initial efforts to reverse the economic collapse of the Great Depression. NIRA was signed into law on June 16, 1933, and was to remain in effect for two years. It attempted to make structural changes in the industrial sector of the economy and to alleviate unemployment with a public works program. It succeeded only partially in accomplishing its goals, and on May 27, 1935, less than three weeks before the act would have expired, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional.

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