Fairchild v. Hughes
United States Supreme Court
258 U.S. 126 (1922)
In 1920, Charles Fairchild (plaintiff), a member of a political group, sued the Secretary of State and Attorney General (defendants) to challenge the not-yet-ratified Nineteenth Amendment, which would give women the right to vote. At the time, 34 of 36 needed states had ratified it. Fairchild sought an injunction to stop the Secretary of State from certifying the amendment and to stop the Attorney General from enforcing an accompanying penalty bill, arguing the amendment would unconstitutionally override state limits on voting to men only. The lower courts dismissed the suit, and Fairchild appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Whether a private citizen has standing in federal court to challenge the constitutionality of a prospective federal statute or constitutional amendment before it takes effect.