National League of Cities v. Usery
426 U.S. 833 · Decided June 24, 1976 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
National League of Cities v. Usery was decided on June 24, 1976 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Fair Labor Standards Act” in the Unions area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 426 U.S. 833 · 96 S. Ct. 2465 · 49 L. Ed. 2d 245 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 158
- Docket number
- 74-878
- Decided
- June 24, 1976
- Argued
- April 16, 1975
- Reargued
- March 2, 1976
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Fair Labor Standards Act
- Issue area
- Unions
- Legal provision
- Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 3 (interstate commerce clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
National League of Cities et al. v. Usery, Secretary of Labor
SCDB identifiers: case 1975-143, docket 1975-143-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Fair Labor Standards Act”
- Falk v. Brennan
- Employees of the Department of Public Health and Welfare of Missouri v. Department of Public Health and Welfare of Missouri
- Brennan v. Arnheim & Neely, Inc.
- Donovan v. Richland County Association for Retarded Citizens
- Maryland v. Wirtz
- Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit AuthorityAltered precedent
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 3 (interstate commerce clause)
- Hughes v. Alexandria Scrap Corp.
- Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., Inc. v. Cottrell
- Boston Stock Exchange v. State Tax CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
- Complete Auto Transit, Inc. v. BradyAltered precedent
- National Geographic Society v. California Board of Equalization
- Hunt v. Washington State Apple Advertising CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Unions)
- Hines v. Anchor Motor Freight, Inc.
- City of Charlotte v. Local 660
- Oil v. Mobil Oil Corp.
- Buffalo Forge Co. v. United Steelworkers of America
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error