Source: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/259/13/
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 04:35:16+00:00

Document:
A father and minor son secured a permanent injunction preventing a manufacturer from discharging the son from employment in consequence of the Federal Child Labor Tax Law upon the ground that the law was unconstitutional, but, pending an appeal, the son ceased to be within the ages affected by the statute. Held that, as the case had become moot, the merits could not be considered, but the decree should be reversed with direction to dismiss the bill without costs. P. 259 U. S. 15.
Appeal from a decree of the district court granting a permanent injunction. See Child Labor Tax Case, post, 259 U. S. 20.
from discharging the employee for any reason that might seem fit to it, and also because the case is not one arising under the internal revenue or other federal laws so as to give the court jurisdiction to pass on the validity of the law."
The court granted the temporary injunction and made it permanent by order of May 2, 1919.
The defendant appealed directly to this Court under § 238 of the Judicial Code, assigning error (1) to the failure to dismiss the bill; (2) to the holding that the Child Labor Tax Act was invalid; (3) to the injunction.
The record shows that the pleadings were framed to bring this case within that of Truax v. Raich, 239 U. S. 33, 239 U. S. 38, but it differs from that case in that the sole defendant here is the employer, while in that case there was joined with the employer, the state officer who threatened to enforce the alleged invalid law against his codefendant and compel him to end the contract against his will and to the complainant's irreparable damage. The record further raises the doubt whether, on its face, this is a real case within the meaning of the Constitution upon which the judgment of this Court upon the validity of an act of Congress under the Constitution can be invoked, and whether it does not violate the principle and ignore the caution of the words of Mr. Justice Brewer in Chicago & Grand Trunk Railway Co. v. Wellman, 143 U. S. 339, 143 U. S. 345, which are quoted in Muskrat v. United States, 219 U. S. 346, 219 U. S. 359. These are serious questions requiring full consideration. We only state them in order that it may not be thought by our conclusion that we here decide them.
consider it. Mills v. Green, 159 U. S. 651; Codlin v. Kohlhausen, 181 U. S. 151; Tennessee v. Condon, 189 U. S. 64, 189 U. S. 71; American Book Co. v. Kansas, 193 U. S. 49, 193 U. S. 51, 24 Sup.Ct. 394, 48 L.ed. 613; Jones v. Montague, 194 U. S. 147; Fisher v. Baker, 203 U. S. 174.
The case having become moot, the decree is reversed with a direction to dismiss the bill without costs to either party.

References: § 238
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