Display Mode
Dark
Dark
Light
Light
Theme Cover
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Search History
No search history
Copied to clipboard
StarredCase saved
Oh No!
Copied to clipboard
StarredCase saved
Oh No!
Media
Term
Opinion Writer
Direction
Field

Toomer Et Al. v. Witsell Et Al.

• 1947 • 334 U.S. 385 • Vinson Court
In Toomer et al. v. Witsell et al., the U.S Supreme Court ruled that South Carolina's statute requiring non-residents to pay a significantly higher fee than residents for commercial shrimp fishing licenses violated the Privileges and Immunities Clause of Article IV, Section 2 of the Constitution. The court held that while states have authority over their natural resources, they cannot discriminate against citizens from other states in favor of their own citizens without justification. In this...Open Case
Score:
Copyright © 2026Etalia.ai All Rights Reserved
  • Blog
  • •
  • Privacy
  • •
  • Terms
1 results found
Become a Sponsor
Support Us
Feedback: We can do better!

Your feedback is extremely important to us and greatly appreciated.
Tell us what went wrong

Copied to clipboard
StarredCase saved
Oh No!
Chief Vinson Court
Term: 1947
Docket: 415
334 U.S. 385
68 S. Ct. 1156
92 L. Ed. 2d 1460
1948 U.S. LEXIS 2082
Argued: Jan 13, 1948

Toomer Et Al. v. Witsell Et Al.

  • Pro
  • Pro
Go Pro!orto acess these features and extra content.

Opinion Summary
AI Abstract

In Toomer et al. v. Witsell et al., the U.S Supreme Court ruled that South Carolina's statute requiring non-residents to pay a significantly higher fee than residents for commercial shrimp fishing licenses violated the Privileges and Immunities Clause of Article IV, Section 2 of the Constitution. The court held that while states have authority over their natural resources, they cannot discriminate against citizens from other states in favor of their own citizens without justification. In this case, South Carolina failed to provide sufficient reasons why such discrimination was necessary or appropriate in preserving its shrimp population; therefore, it could not impose a hundredfold license fee on non-resident fishermen as compared to resident ones.

Dissent Summary
AI Abstract

In the dissenting opinion for Toomer et al. v. Witsell et al., Justice Frankfurter disagreed with the majority's ruling that South Carolina’s statute imposing higher license fees on non-residents was unconstitutional under the Privileges and Immunities Clause of Article IV, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution. He argued that states should have a right to protect their natural resources from depletion by outsiders, particularly when those resources are finite and easily exhausted like shrimp in coastal waters. He contended that it is within a state's rights to impose restrictions or regulations aimed at conservation efforts, even if they may appear discriminatory against non-residents on surface level. Furthermore, he emphasized that such measures do not necessarily violate constitutional principles as long as they serve legitimate state interests and are not arbitrary or unreasonable.

Opinion written by Justice FMVinson
Decided: Jun 07, 1948
PDF viewer is not available.
Go Pro!orto acess these features and extra content.
Related Cases
AI Assist
Go Pro!orto acess these features and extra content.
PDF viewer is not available.
Oral Transcripts
Go Pro!orto acess these features and extra content.
Related Cases
Go Pro!orto acess these features and extra content.
Ask Etalia.ai
Go Pro!orto acess these features and extra content.
Audio of Oral Arguments
Free Trial!
Become a Sponsor

Support Us
Copyright © 2026Etalia.ai All Rights Reserved
  • Blog
  • •
  • Privacy
  • •
  • Terms