United States v. Morrison

law case

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July 21, 2026

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In United States v. Morrison (2000), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Commerce Clause of the Constitution did not grant Congress the authority to enact a federal civil remedy for gender-motivated violence as part of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994. The Court found that the VAWA's civil remedy provision exceeded Congress's power under the Commerce Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment. This decision struck down a key component of the VAWA that allowed victims to sue their attackers in federal court.12

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commerce clause
Interpretation of the commerce clause in United States Supreme Court cases
” In United States v. Morrison (2000), the Court held that the commerce clause did not permit Congress to enact a federal civil remedy—i.e., a ground for civil lawsuits in federal courts—for acts of gender-motivated violence as part of the Violence Against Women Act (1994). In 2005,…
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” In United States v. Morrison (2000), the Court held that the commerce clause did not permit Congress to enact a federal civil remedy—i.e., a ground for civil lawsuits in federal courts—for acts of gender-motivated violence as part of the Violence Against Women Act (1994). In 2005,…
Read More