| Head Money Cases | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued November 19–20, 1884 Decided December 8, 1884 | |
| Full case name | Edye and Another v. Robertson, Collector; Cunard Steamship Company v. Robertson; Same v. Same |
| Citations | 112 U.S. 580 (more) 5 S. Ct. 247; 28 L. Ed. 798; 1884 U.S. LEXIS 1909; 3 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 2473 |
| Case history | |
| Prior | On writs of error from the Circuit Courts of the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York |
| Holding | |
| Treaties do not hold a privileged position above other acts of Congress, and other laws affecting their "enforcement, modification, or repeal" are legitimate. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinion | |
| Majority | Miller, joined unanimously |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. | |
The Head Money Cases, 112 U.S. 580 (1884), also referred to as Edye v. Robertson, were a group of cases decided together by the United States Supreme Court.
Background
Pursuant to the Immigration Act of 1882, officers from the customhouse in the Port of New York began collecting a tax from ships of fifty cents for each immigrant aboard. Multiple ship owners sued because they were transporting Dutch immigrants, and the Netherlands had a treaty with the United States that seemed to prohibit the tax.
Decision
The case established the precedent that treaties, which are described in the Supremacy Clause of the US Constitution as "the supreme law of the land" equal to any domestic federal law, do not hold a privileged position above other acts of Congress. Hence, other laws affecting the "enforcement, modification, or repeal" of treaties are legitimate.
See also
- Passenger Cases: A similar case covering a head tax on British immigrants.
- List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 112
External links
Works related to Head Money Cases at Wikisource- ^ Text of Head Money Cases, 112 U.S. 580 (1884) is available from: Cornell Justia Library of Congress OpenJurist