Supreme Court Approves Wagner Act

Until 1937, the Supreme Court confined its interpretation of the interstate commerce clause to transportation across state lines, such as railroads. As a result, in found much early New Deal regulatory legislation unconstitutional. This approach led to a confrontation with the Roosevelt administration. Roosevelt proposed "packing" the Court with additional justices he could appoint beyond the existing nine. Although the court packing proposal was never enacted, the Supreme Court reversed its stance and approved the Wagner Act (National Labor Relations Act) in 1937. The Wagner Act provided protection for collective bargaining and labor unions. Much of the subsequent federal regulation of the economy stems from this decision. This video looks at the decision on the Wagner Act and at the Court of 1937 more generally.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Supreme-Court
• New-Deal
• Wagner-Act
• collective-bargaining
• unions
• constitution