Coleman v. Miller
| Coleman v. Miller | |
|---|---|
| Argued October 10, 1938 Reargued April 17–April 18, 1939 Decided June 5, 1939 | |
| Full case name | Coleman, et al. v. Miller, Secretary of the Senate of State of Kansas, et al. |
| Citations | 307 U.S. 433 (more) |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Cert. to the Supreme Court of Kansas |
| Holding | |
| A proposed amendment to the Federal Constitution is considered pending before the states indefinitely unless Congress establishes a deadline by which the states must act. Further, Congress—not the courts—is responsible for deciding whether an amendment has been validly ratified. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Hughes, joined by Stone, Roberts, Black, Reed, Frankfurter, Douglas |
| Concurrence | Black, joined by Roberts, Frankfurter, Douglas |
| Dissent | Butler, joined by McReynolds |
| Statement | Frankfurter |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. Art. V | |
This case overturned a previous ruling or rulings | |
| Dillon v. Gloss (1921) (in part) | |
Coleman v. Miller, 307 U.S. 433 (1939), is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court which clarified that when proposing for the ratification of an amendment to the United States Constitution, pursuant to Article V thereof, if the Congress of the United States chooses not to set a deadline by which the proposed amendment must be acted upon by the requisite three-fourths of state legislatures or state ratifying conventions, then the proposed amendment remains pending business before the state legislatures (or ratifying conventions). The case centered on the Child Labor Amendment, which was proposed for ratification by Congress in 1924.