Yakus v. United States (1944) — Delegation of Legislative Authority

Case name: Yakus v. United States (1944) Court: Supreme Court of the United States Year: 1944 Citation: 321 U.S. 414 Claim Presented Petitioner challenged the Emergency Price Control Act of 1942, arguing that Congress unconstitutionally delegated legislative power to the Price Administrator without sufficient standards to guide the exercise of that authority.

Authority Cited Article I of the United States Constitution, which vests legislative powers in Congress. The Emergency Price Control Act of 1942.

Court's Analysis The Court evaluated whether Congress had provided sufficient standards to guide the Price Administrator's exercise of delegated authority under the Emergency Price Control Act of 1942. Congress authorized the Price Administrator to fix maximum prices and rents to effectuate the purposes of the Act. The statute directed the Administrator to fix prices that would be fair and equitable, reflect price increases since October 1941, and give due consideration to prices prevailing between October 1 and October 15, 1941. The statute further instructed the Administrator to make adjustments for relevant factors including speculative fluctuations, general increases or decreases in costs, and other conditions affecting prices.

The Court found these standards constituted an "intelligible principle" sufficient to guide administrative discretion. The Court determined that Congress had prescribed adequate boundaries for the exercise of delegated authority by establishing the general policy, setting forth the circumstances under which the regulatory power was to be exercised, and providing standards to govern the Administrator's actions. The Court concluded that the statute provided a sufficiently definite standard to satisfy constitutional requirements and that Congress need not specify in detail the manner in which its broad policies were to be implemented.

Disposition Judgment affirmed. The statute was upheld as constitutional.

Procedural Outcome Petitioner's conviction for violating price regulations was sustained.

Archival Note "This entry documents the judicial record in Yakus v. United States as preserved in the official reports. The decision addressed constitutional limits on delegation of legislative authority and clarified the standards governing congressional delegation to administrative agencies."