Chinese Exclusion Case (Chae Chan Ping v. United States)
United States Supreme Court
130 U.S. 581 (1889)
Relevant factsFree
Congress passed 1888 legislation barring Chinese laborers from reentering the United States even if they had previously obtained reentry licenses, a measure conflicting with the earlier Burlingame Treaty between the U.S. and China; Chae Chan Ping (plaintiff), denied reentry despite holding such a license, sued, and the lower courts upheld the legislation, prompting Supreme Court review.
IssueFree
Whether Congress may pass legislation excluding an entire class of foreign nationals from entering or reentering the United States, even where that legislation conflicts with a preexisting treaty and revokes previously issued entry licenses.