Quotes · Quote card
Quotation from Norman v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co. (Gold Clause Cases) by Supreme Court of the United States
“Contracts, however express, cannot fetter the constitutional authority of the Congress. Contracts may create rights of property, but, when contracts deal with a subject-matter which lies within the control of the Congress, they have a congenital infirmity.”
Norman v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co. (Gold Clause Cases), Opinion of the Court (Chief Justice Hughes) (U.S. Reports text (Legal Information Institute))
Chief Justice Hughes rejects the argument that private agreements can remove monetary obligations from congressional control.
Citation: "Contracts, however express, cannot fetter the constitutional authority of the Congress. Contracts may create rights of property, but, when contracts deal with a subject-matter which lies within the control of the Congress, they have a congenital infirmity." — Supreme Court of the United States, Norman v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co. (Gold Clause Cases), Opinion of the Court (Chief Justice Hughes) (U.S. Reports text (Legal Information Institute)). (id norman-v-baltimore-and-ohio-railroad-q1)
Portrait: Charles Evans Hughes cph.3b15401 (3x4a), Underwood & Underwood, Public domain.
