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Guy v. City of Baltimore, 1 Ky.L.Rptr. 205, 100 U.S. 434, 10 Otto 434, 1879 WL 16579, 25 L.Ed. 743

Facts

Edward T. Guy, a resident of Virginia, arrived in Baltimore with his schooner laden with potatoes from Virginia. Upon landing at a public wharf, he was charged $4.40 in wharfage fees, which he refused to pay. The city then sued him for a penalty of $20 for not complying with the ordinance requiring payment of wharfage on goods not produced in Maryland. The lower court ruled against Guy, leading to his appeal.

Issue

Whether the ordinance of the city of Baltimore imposing wharfage fees on vessels carrying products from other states is unconstitutional under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Rule

A state cannot impose a more onerous burden or tax on products from another state than it does on its own products, as this would violate the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Analysis

The court found that the ordinance imposed a discriminatory fee on out-of-state products, which was not applied to similar products from Maryland. This created an unequal burden on interstate commerce, which is prohibited by the Constitution. The court emphasized that the city could not use its authority to impose fees that effectively functioned as a tax on interstate commerce.

The court found that the ordinance imposed a discriminatory fee on out-of-state products, which was not applied to similar products from Maryland.

Conclusion

The court reversed the judgment against Guy and directed the dismissal of the action, ruling that the city's ordinance was unconstitutional.

Who won?

Edward T. Guy prevailed in the case because the court found the city's ordinance unconstitutional, as it discriminated against interstate commerce.

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