Quotes · Quote card
Quotation from Hepburn v. Griswold by Supreme Court of the United States
“We are obliged to conclude that an act making mere promises to pay dollars a legal tender in payment of debts previously contracted, is not a means appropriate, plainly adapted, really calculated to carry into effect any express power vested in Congress; that such an act is inconsistent with the spirit of the Constitution; and that it is prohibited by the Constitution.”
Hepburn v. Griswold, Opinion of the Court (Chief Justice Chase) (U.S. Reports text (Wikisource))
Chief Justice Chase states the Court's three-part conclusion, echoing Marshall's own words from McCulloch.
Citation: "We are obliged to conclude that an act making mere promises to pay dollars a legal tender in payment of debts previously contracted, is not a means appropriate, plainly adapted, really calculated to carry into effect any express power vested in Congress; that such an act is inconsistent with the spirit of the Constitution; and that it is prohibited by the Constitution." — Supreme Court of the United States, Hepburn v. Griswold, Opinion of the Court (Chief Justice Chase) (U.S. Reports text (Wikisource)). (id hepburn-v-griswold-q1)
Portrait: Mathew Brady, Portrait of Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase, officer of the United States government (1860–1865, full version) (1), Mathew Benjamin Brady, Public domain.
