Champion v. Ames
United States Supreme Court
188 U.S. 321 (1903)
Relevant factsFree
Congress passed the Federal Lottery Act of 1895, banning the interstate buying and selling of lottery tickets. Charles Champion (defendant) was indicted for shipping Paraguayan lottery tickets from Texas to California in violation of the Act. He challenged the indictment by habeas corpus, arguing Congress's Commerce Clause power lets it regulate interstate commerce but not ban a category of it outright. The circuit court dismissed his petition, and Champion appealed to the Supreme Court.
IssueFree
Whether the interstate trafficking of lottery tickets constitutes interstate commerce that Congress may completely prohibit under the Commerce Clause.