Slaughter House Cases: Butchers’ Benevolent Assn. of New Orleans v. Crescent City Livestock Landing & Slaughter-house Co. case brief

Slaughter House Cases: Butchers’ Benevolent Assn. of New Orleans v. Crescent City Livestock Landing & Slaughter-house Co. case brief summary

83 U.S. (16 Wall.) 36 (1872)

CASE SYNOPSIS

This case was brought before the court by writs of error to the Supreme Court of the State of Louisiana, which dismissed plaintiffs' action alleging that a state statute was in violation of U.S. Constitutional amendment XIII and U.S. Constitutional amendment XIV and was an unlawful restraint on the butcher trade.

CASE FACTS
Plaintiffs, butchers of New Orleans, contended that a state statute was unconstitutional in that it violated U.S. Constitutional amendment XIV and U.S. Constitutional amendment XIII. The statute was passed to protect the health of the city and forbade the slaughtering of animals for food within the city, giving a company the sole privilege of slaughtering animals. Plaintiffs also argued that the statute created a monopoly and deprived the butchers of the city the right to exercise their trade. The state court decided in favor of the company.

DISCUSSION

• On appeal, the court affirmed the judgment, finding that the state had the exclusive right under its police power to determine the localities where slaughtering for the city could be conducted, and the laws of the federal Constitution did not apply. 
• Additionally, the law only restricted the butchers as to where they could slaughter, but not from butchering, thus it did not restrain their trade.

CONCLUSION

The court affirmed, finding that the state had the exclusive right under its police power to determine the localities where slaughtering for the city could be conducted, and the laws of the federal Constitution did not apply.