Champion v. Ames (The Lottery Case)

Champion v. Ames (The Lottery Case), 188 U.S. 321 (1903), is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court.

Congress enacted a law prohibiting the interstate transportation of lottery tickets. Charles Champion was indicted for shipping lottery tickets from Texas to California. He challenged the law as exceeding Congress’s Commerce Clause power, arguing that the federal government could only regulate commerce for purposes of facilitating trade, not for policing purposes.

Significance

The Supreme Court upheld the federal law, ruling that Congress could use its Commerce Clause power to prohibit the interstate shipment of harmful items. Justice Harlan’s opinion established that Congress could regulate — not just protect — interstate commerce, and that the power to regulate includes the power to prohibit. This ‘police power’ use of the Commerce Clause opened the door to broad federal regulation of morality and health through commerce restrictions.

Category

US Federal Case Law