Edwards v. California: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Edwards v. People of State of California 314 US 160 (1941) is a Supreme Court case where a California law prohibiting the bringing of a non-resident "indigent person" into the state was struck down as unconstitutional.

Edwards was a Californian who had driven to Texas and returned with his unemployed brother-in-law. He was tried, convicted and given a six-month suspended sentence. On appeal from the Superior Court of Yuba County, the Supreme Court vacated the verdict and declared the law unconstitutional, as violating the Constitution's Commerce Clause. In concurring opinions, Justices Douglas and Jackson held that the law violated the Privileges and Immunities clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.