Santa Clara County vs. Southern Pacific Railroad
Quick Summary
The 1886 U.S. Supreme Court case Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad is significant for its role in expanding corporate rights. While the case's official ruling focused on property taxation, a headnote in the official report stated that corporations were to be treated as legal persons under the Fourteenth Amendment. This interpretation, though not a direct holding of the court, has been influential in granting corporations rights, such as free speech, and allowing them to be sued. The Southern Pacific Railroad itself was a major American railroad system established in 1861, playing a key role in the development of the West.12
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