United Building & Construction Trades Council of Camden County v. Mayor & Council of the City of Camden

United States Supreme Court

465 U.S. 208 (1984)

Relevant factsFree

Camden's (defendant) ordinance required 40% of construction contractors' and subcontractors' employees on city projects to be Camden residents; United Building (plaintiff) challenged this under the Privileges and Immunities Clause, and the New Jersey Supreme Court upheld the ordinance, reasoning the Clause applied only to state-based discrimination, not municipal residency requirements, and that the dormant Commerce Clause didn't apply since Camden acted as a market participant.

IssueFree

Whether a city may enact an ordinance discriminating on the basis of municipal, rather than state, residence without triggering Privileges and Immunities Clause scrutiny.

Holding & reasoning

The court resolved the question by applying the controlling rule to the facts and explaining precisely why the outcome followed. Its reasoning ties the doctrine to the record so you can reproduce the analysis on an exam.

Procedural history, concurrence & dissent

This section traces the case from the trial court through appeal and lays out how each opinion lands. Separate writings sharpen the majority's limits and flag the arguments most likely to resurface in class.

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