What was the US Supreme Court case of 1886 that prevented states from regulating railroads or other forms of interstate commerce?

Answer 1

Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway Company v. Illinois, (1886) resulted from a dispute between the railway company and the state of Illinois over shipping charges for transporting cargo from various cities in Illinois to cities in other states.

Illinois law prohibited charging higher freight for moving goods shorter distances than for moving them longer distances, and imposed fines on railroad companies that failed to comply with their regulations. Specifically at issue was the fact Wabash charged more to transport goods from Gilman, Illinois, to New York than from Peoria, Illinois, to New York, even though the distance from Gilman to New York was 86 miles shorter.

The US Supreme Court held that the Illinois statute prevented the state from regulating freight charges based on the specific point of departure, concluding that a voyage consisted of departure from anywhere in the interior of Illinois to New York (the ruling could be generalized to other states and destinations).

The Court further held that the case involved a matter of "commerce among the states," which was properly regulated by Congress, not the States, per the US Constitution's Commerce Clause (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3) and its Necessary and Proper Clause* (Article I, Section 8, Clause 18).

The Court declared that the decision in Wabash did not establish a contrary doctrine to rulings in earlier cases, such as Munn v. Illinois, 94 U. S. 113 (1877); Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Co. v. Iowa, 94 U. S. 155, (1876) and Peik v. Chicago & Northwestern Railway, 94 U. S. 164 (1876).

The decision of the Illinois court was reversed, and the State's transportation statute struck down as unconstitutional.

Ok just to make it earier the answer isWabash v. Illinois

Answer 2

Wabash