United States v. Morrison

United States v. Morrison was a 2000 Supreme Court case that challenged the constitutionality of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994. The law allowed victims of gender-based violence to sue their attackers in federal court. The Court ruled that this law exceeded Congress's constitutional powers because protecting individuals from violence between private parties is primarily the responsibility of state governments, not the federal government. Essentially, the Court decided that the federal government could not enforce or create laws that directly regulate private, non-federal conduct in this context.