United States v. Doremus

United States v. Doremus
Argued January 16, 1919
Decided March 3, 1919
Full case nameUnited States v. Doremus
Citations249 U.S. 86 (more)
39 S. Ct. 214
Case history
Prior246 F. 958 (W.D. Tex. 1918)
Holding
Excise taxes are a valid use of federal power, even when they are enacted to regulate in areas also governed by state police power
Court membership
Chief Justice
Edward D. White
Associate Justices
Joseph McKenna · Oliver W. Holmes Jr.
William R. Day · Willis Van Devanter
Mahlon Pitney · James C. McReynolds
Louis Brandeis · John H. Clarke
Case opinions
MajorityDay, joined by Holmes, Pitney, Brandeis, Clarke
DissentWhite, joined by McKenna, Van Devanter, McReynolds
Laws applied
Harrison Narcotics Tax Act and Taxing and Spending Clause

United States v. Doremus, 249 U.S. 86 (1919), was a decision of the US Supreme Court upholding the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act as a valid use of a federal power under the Taxing and Spending Clause.