White v. Massachusetts Council of Construction Employers, Inc.

Boston's mayor White (defendant) issued an executive order requiring city-funded construction projects to be staffed at least half by Boston residents; the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held the order unconstitutional under the Commerce Clause as a significant burden on interstate commerce, reasoning it effectively excluded construction companies with majority out-of-city workforces. White appealed.

Whether a city acting as a market participant in publicly funded construction contracts, rather than as a market regulator, is subject to the Commerce Clause's restraints on state and local action.