Source: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Lambert_v._Yellowley/Opinion_of_the_Court
Timestamp: 2013-05-23 14:25:46
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Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1120', '§ 8', 'art, 247', '§ 10138', 'art. 23', '§ 17', '§ 8', '§ 30', '§ 2', '§ 4', '§ 25', '§ 2', '§ 5', '§ 17', '§ 8', '§ 5', '§ 1', '§ 13', 'art. 23', '§ 4', '§ 1', '§ 6', '§ 2', '§ 797', '§ 10273', '§ 1', '§ 6', '§ 13', '§ 4']

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Lambert v. Yellowley/Opinion of the Court
< Lambert v. Yellowley
Lambert v. Yellowley by Louis Brandeis
Lambert v. Yellowley — Opinion of the Court Louis Brandeis
Argued: April 30, 1926. --- Decided: Nov 29, 1926
In May, 1923, the case was heard upon an application for an interlocutory injunction and a motion to dismiss. The District Court issued the injunction. 291 F.640. In December, 1924, the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed the decree, and directed that the bill be dismissed. 4 F.(2d) 915. In the interval, this court had decided Hixon v. Oakes, 265 U.S. 254, 44 S.C.t. 514, 68 L. Ed. 1005, and Everard's Breweries v. Day, 265 U.S. 545, 44 S.C.t. 628, 68 L. Ed. 1174. In the latter Dr. Lambert's counsel was permitted to file a brief, and to present an oral argument. The appeal in the case at bar was taken under sections 128 and 241 of the Judicial Code (Comp. St. §§ 1120, 1218), and was allowed before the passage of the Act of February 13, 1925, c. 229, 43 Stat. 936. The claim is that the provision assailed is unconstitutional, because it has no real or substantial relation to the appropriate enforcement of the Eighteenth Amendment, that in enacting the provision Congress exceeded the powers delegated to it by the amendment, and that thereby complainant's fundamental rights are violated.
The Eighteenth Amendment, besides prohibiting by section 1 the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes, confers upon Congress by section 2, in terms, the power to enforce the prohibition by appropriate legislation. That the limitation upon the amount of liquor which may be prescribed for medicinal purposes is a provision adapted to promote the purpose of the amendment is clear. That the provision is not arbitrary appears from the evidence considered by Congress [1] which embodies, among other things, the lessons of half a century of experience in the several states in dealing with the liquor problem. [2] That evidence disclosed that practicing physicians differ about the value of malt, vinous, and spirituous liquors for medicinal purposes, but that the preponderating opinion is against their use for such purposes, and that among those who prescribe them there are some who are disposed to give prescriptions where the real purpose is to divert the liquor to beverage uses. Indeed, the American Medical Association, at its meeting in 1917, had declared that the use of alcoholic liquor as a thereapeutic agent was without 'scientific basis' and 'should be discouraged,' and, at its meeting in June, 1921, had adopted a resolution saying 'reproach has been brought upon the medical profession by some of its members, who have misused used the law which permits the prescription of alcohol.' With this as the situation to be met, the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives reported with favorable recommendation the bill which became the Act of November 23, 1921, whereby the prescription of intoxicating malt liquor for medicinal purposes is entirely prohibited, and the prescription of other intoxicating liquors is subjected to the following restrictions:
In Everard's Breweries v. Day, 265 U.S. 545, 44 S.C.t. 628, 68 L. Ed. 1174, the validity of the provision prohibiting the prescription of malt liquor was assailed as going beyond the power of Congress and impinging upon the reserved powers of the states, in that it is an interference with the regulation of health and the practice of medicine both of which are within the domain of state power and outside the legislative power of Congress. The suit was against the Commissioner of Internal Revenue and other federal officers, and its chief purpose was to enjoin them from enforcing the provision prohibiting the prescription of malt liquor for medicinal purposes. This court, besides observing that the 'ultimate and controlling question' in the case was whether the provision prohibiting physicians from prescribing intoxicating malt liquors for medicinal purposes is within the power given to Congress by the Eighteenth Amendment, to enforce by 'appropriate legislation' its prohibition of the manufacture, sale, etc., of intoxicating liquor for beverage purposes, proceeded to consider every phase of the question, and in conclusion held that the provision was appropriate legislation for the purpose and within the power of Congress, although affecting subjects which, but for the amendment, would be entirely within state control. The court referred to the settled rule that where the means adopted by Congress in exerting an express power are calculated to effect its purpose, it is not admissible for the judiciary to inquire into the degree of their necessity, and then said (265 U.S. at page 560, 44 S.C.t. 632):
'We cannot say that prohibiting traffic in intoxicating malt liquors for medicinal purposes has no real or substantial relation to the enforcement of the Eighteenth Amendment, and is not adapted to accomplish that end and make the constitutional prohibition effective. The difficulties always attendant upon the suppression of traffic in intoxicating liquors are notorious. Crane v. Campbell, 245 U. S. 304, 307, 38 S.C.t. 98, 92 L. Ed. 304. The federal government in enforcing prohibition is confronted with difficulties similar to those encountered by the States. Ruppert v. Caffey, supra, 251 U.S. 297, 40 S.C.t. 141 (64 L. Ed. 260). The opportunity to manufacture, sell, and prescribe intoxicating malt liquors for 'medicinal purposes' opens many doors to clandestine traffic in them as beverages under the guise of medicines, facilitates many frauds, subterfuges and artifices; aids evasion, and thereby and to that extent hampers and obstructs the enforcement of the Eighteenth Amendment.'
A later case applying like principles is Selzman v. United States, 268 U.S. 466, 45 S.C.t. 574, 69 L. Ed. 1054. There a section of the National Prohibition Act forbidding the sale of denatured alcohol without a compliance with certain regulations was assailed as beyond the authority of Congress under the Eighteenth Amendment upon the ground that the amendment relates only to traffic in intoxicating liquor for beverage purposes, and that, as denatured alcohol is not usable as a beverage, authority to prevent or regulate its sale is not given to Congress by the amendment, but remains exclusively in the states. This court held the section valid for the following reasons:
From the authority of these cases Dr. Lambert seeks to escape by pointing out that he is a physician and believes that the use of spirituous liquor as a medicinal agent is at times both advisable and necessary. He asserts that to control the medical practice in the states is beyond the power of the federal government. Of course his belief in the medicinal value of such liquor is not of controlling significance; it merely places him in what was shown to Congress to be the minor fraction of his profession. Besides, there is no right to practice medicine which is not subordinate to the police power of the states (Dent v. West Virginia, 129 U.S. 114, 9 S.C.t. 231, 32 L. Ed. 623; Collins v. Texas, 223 U.S. 288, 32 S.C.t. 286, 56 L. Ed. 439; Crane v. Johnson, 242 U.S. 339, 37 S.C.t. 176, 61 L. Ed. 348, Ann. Cas. 1917B, 796; Graves v. Minnesota, 272 U.S. 425, 47 S.C.t. 122, 71 L. Ed. -, No. 320 of this term, decided November 22), and also to the power of Congress to make laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution the Eighteenth Amendment. When the United States exerts any of the powers conferred upon it by the Constitution, no valid objection can be based upon the fact that such exercise may be attended by some or all of the incidents which attend the exercise by a state of its police power. Hamilton v. Kentucky Distilleries & Warehouse Co., 251 U.S. 146, 156, 40 S.C.t. 106, 64 L. Ed. 194; Jacob Ruppert v. Caffey, 251 U.S. 264, 300, 40 S.C.t. 141, 64 L. Ed. 260. The Eighteenth Amendment confers upon the federal government the power to prohibit the sale of intoxicating liquor for beverage purposes. Under it, as under the necessary and proper clause of article 1, § 8, of the Constitution, Congress has power to enforce prohibition 'by appropriate legislation.' High medical authority being in conflict as to the medicinal value of spirituous and vinous liquors taken as a beverage, it would, indeed, be strange if Congress lacked the power to determine that the necessities of the liquor problem require a limitation of permissible prescriptions, as by keeping the quantity that may be prescribed within limits which will minimize the temptation to resort to prescriptions as pretexts for obtaining liquor for beverage uses. Compare Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11, 25 S.C.t. 358, 49 L. Ed. 643, 3 Ann. Cas. 765.
'Direct control of medical practice in the states is beyond the power of the federal government.' Linder v. United States, 268 U.S. 5, 18, 45 S.C.t. 446, 449 (69 L. Ed. 819, 39 A. L. R. 229).
In addition to these allegations, we have the fact that Congress, acting upon a report of one of its committees made after exhaustive hearings, declared by statute that the prescription of malt liquors should be prohibited and the prescription of spirituous and vinous liquors should be permitted. Justifying such legislation, the committee had reported that the overwhelming evidence was to the effect that malt liquors (not also spirituous and vinous liquors) had no substantial medicinal value. It is now said by the majority, at one point, that the preponderating opinion of practicing physicians is agaiinst the use of all three and, at another point, that only a minor fraction hold the other view. I am quite unable to assent to these generalizations. On the contrary, the impossibility of determining, from anything now before this court, what is the preponderating opinion upon the subject, is very clear. An examination of the hearings before the House Judiciary Committee, cited as authority for the foregoing statements, shows that the inquiry there was directed to the question of the medical value of malt liquors and that the question of the medical value of the other liquors was not under consideration. The hearings contain a few casual references to the other liquors; but I feel justified in saying that they reflect no light upon the state of medical opinion as to the value of such liquors as medicines. It is stated in the brief for the appellees that a questionnaire, sent out to one-third of the physicians of the United States, brought a reply from enough to make 21.5 per cent. of the whole number of physicians in the country, and that a little more than one-half of those replying voted 'Yes' on the use of whisky as a therapeutic agency, some of them, however, taking exception to the word 'necessary,' saying that no drugs were absolutely necessary. The American Medical Association, whose resolution of 1917 is referred to, have filed in this case a brief as amicus curiae, challenging the conclusion which is drawn from that resolution and vigorously attacking the act now under review as arbitrary and unreasonable. In 1924 the house of delegates of the association adopted a resolution expressing its disapproval of those portions of the act 'which interfere with the proper relation between the physician and his patient in prescribing alcohol medicinally.' It seems plain, therefore, that the most that can be said is that the question is of a highly controversial character; and, since it reasonably cannot be doubted that it is a fairly debatable one, the legislative finding, necessarily implicit in the act, that vinous and spirituous liquors are of medicinal value, must be accepted here. Radice v. New York, 264 U.S. 292, 294, 44 S.C.t. 325, 68 L. Ed. 690; Rast v. Van Deman & Lewis, 240 U.S. 342, 357, 36 S.C.t. 370, 60 L. Ed. 679, L. R. A. 1917A, 421, Ann. Cas. 1917B, 455; Price v. Illinois, 238 U.S. 446, 452, 35 S.C.t. 892, 59 L. Ed. 1400.
The majority opinion rests chiefly upon Everard's Breweries v. Day, 265 U.S. 545, 44 S.C.t. 628, 68 L. Ed. 1174, which, it is said, was decided by a unanimous court and, if adhered to, disposes of the present case. While, of course, in the light of the present ruling, I cannot say that, if the court had entertained that view of the scope of its decision at the time of its rendition, it would not have been rendered; I do say it is very certain that it would not have been by a unanimous court. In the opinion in that case there is some general discussion of the power to Congress in respect of the adoption of appropriate means to enforce the Eighteenth Amendment, but the decision rests upon the ground that Congress, upon conflicting evidence, had determined that malt liquors possessed no substantial medicinal value and judicial inquiry upon that question was, therefore, foreclosed. In direct response to the contention that the act was an 'arbitrary and unreasonable prohibition of the use of valuable medicinal agents,' it was said (265 U.S. at pages 561, 562, 44 S.C.t. 632):
And finally (265 U.S. at page 563, 44 S.C.t. 633):
'We find, on the whole, no ground for disturbing the determination of Congress on the question of fact as to the reasonable necessity, in the enforcement of the Eighteenth Amendment, of prohibiting prescriptions of intoxicating malt liquors for medicinal purposes. See Radice v. New York, 264 U.S. 292, 44 S.C.t. 325, 68 L. Ed. 690.'
The effect of upholding the legislation is to deprive the states of the exclusive power, which the Eighteenth Amendment has not destroyed, of controlling medical practice and transfer it in part of Congress. See Hammer v. Dagenhart, 247 U.S. 251, 275, 276, 38 S.C.t. 529, 62 L. Ed. 1101, 3 A. L. R. 649, Ann. Cas. 1918E, 724. It goes further, for, it Congress can prohibit the prescription of liquor for necessary medical purposes as a means of preventing the furnishing of it for beverage purposes, that body, by a parity of reasoning, may prohibit the manufacture and sale for industrial or sacramental purposes, or, indeed, as the most effective possible means of preventing the traffic in it for beverage purposes, may prohibit such manufacture and sale altogether, with the result that, under the pretense of adopting appropriate means, a carefully and definitely limited power will have been expanded into a general and unlimited power. 'The purposes intended must be attained consistently with constitutional limitations and not by an invasion of the powers of the states. This court has no more important function than that which devolves upon it the obligation to preserve inviolate the constitutional limitations upon the exercise of authority, federal and state, to the end that each may continue to discharge, harmoniously with the other, the duties intrusted to it by the Constitution.' Hammer v. Dagenhart, supra, at page 276 (38 S.C.t. 533),
I do not doubt the authority of Congress to regulate the disposal of intoxicating liquors for medicinal use so as to prevent evasions of the law against the traffic in such liquors for beverage purposes, and to that end to surround the prescription by the physician with every appropriate safeguard against fraud and imposition; but as this record now stands it cannot prohibit the legitimate prescription of spirituous and vinous liquors for medicine as this statute attempts to do. 'Federal power is delegated, and its prescribed limits must not be transcended even though the end seen desirable.' Linder v. United States, supra, at page 22 (45 S.C.t. 450). Because this statute by fixing inadequate prescriptions prohibits to the extent of such inadequacies the legitimate prescription of spirituous and vinous liquors for medicinal purposes, it exceeds the powers of Congress, invades those exclusively reserved to the states, and is not appropriate legislation to enforce the Eighteenth Amendment. The decree below should be reversed.
^1 See House Report No. 224, 67th Cong., lst Sess., Ser. No. 7920; Hearings before the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives on H. R. 5033, 15-16, 146; 61 Cong. Rec. 3456, 4035, 4036, 4038, 8749-8757.
^2 At the time of the passage of the National Prohibition Act (Comp. St. § 10138 1/4 et seq.), and/or the Wills-Campbell Act (42 Stat. 222), the following state legislation concerning the prescription of alcoholic beverages for medicinal purposes was in effect. In seven states no intoxicating liquor of any kind could be prescribed. Ariz. Const. art. 23, Cooper v. State, 19 Ariz. 486; 1915 Idaho Laws, c. 11, 1921 Idaho Laws, c. 50; 1917 Kan. Laws, c. 215; State v. Miller, 92 Kan. 994, 1000, 142 P. 979, L. R. A. 1917F, 238, Ann. Cas. 1916B, 365; 1916 Me. Rev. Stat. c. 20, § 17; 1915 N. C. Laws, c. 97, § 8; 1917 Utah Laws, c. 2, § 30; 1917 Wash. Laws, c. 19, § 2. In three states prescriptions could be made only if the liquor was made unfit for beverage purposes. 1919 Ga. Laws, p. 123, No. 139, § 4(b); 1917 Neb. Laws, c. 187, § 25; 1921 N. D. Laws, c. 97, § 2. In fifteen states only alcohol could be prescribed for medical purposes. 1919 Ala. Acts, No. 7, §§ 5, 7; 1919 Ark. Laws, Act 87, § 17; 1919 Del. Laws, c. 239, §§ 8, 14; 1918 Fla. Laws, c. 7736, § 5, amended by 1919 Fla. Laws, c. 7890, § 1; 1917 Ind. Acts, c. 4, § 13; 1908 Miss. Laws, c. 113; N. Mex. Const. art. 23; 1919 N. M. Laws, c. 151; 1919 Nev. Stats. c. 1, § 4; 1910-11 Okl. Laws, c. 70, § 1; 1915 Or. Laws, c. 141, § 6(g), as amended by 1917 Or. Laws, c. 40, § 2; 1912 S.C.. Cr. Code, §§ 797, 798; 1919 S. D. Rev. Code, § 10273, as amended by 19s9 S. D. Laws, c. 246, § 1; 1917 Tenn. Acts, No. 68, § 6; 1919 Tex. Laws, 2d Sess., c. 78, §§ 13, 14; 1921 W. Va. Acts, c. 115, amending chapter 32A, § 4, Barnes' West Va. Code. In three states no more than a stated quantity of intoxicating liquor fit for
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