Energy Reserves Group, Inc. v. Kansas Power & Light Co.

E285915

Energy Reserves Group, Inc. v. Kansas Power & Light Co. is a 1983 U.S. Supreme Court case that clarified the modern test for evaluating state laws under the Constitution’s Contract Clause, particularly in the context of regulated utility contracts.

All labels observed (2)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Contract Clause case ⓘ
United States Supreme Court case ⓘ
constitutional law case ⓘ
appliedIn cases evaluating state interference with private commercial contracts ⓘ
areaOfLaw constitutional law ⓘ
contracts ⓘ
public utility regulation ⓘ
characteristic deferential to state economic regulation under the Contract Clause ⓘ
citation 459 U.S. 400 ⓘ
clarified distinction between substantial impairment and permissible adjustment of contractual expectations ⓘ
role of foreseeability of regulation in assessing substantial impairment ⓘ
constitutionalProvisionInterpreted Article I, Section 10, Clause 1 of the United States Constitution ⓘ
Contract Clause ⓘ
context natural gas industry regulation in the United States ⓘ
regulated utility contracts ⓘ
country United States ⓘ
court Supreme Court of the United States ⓘ
decisionDate 1983 ⓘ
decisionType majority opinion ⓘ
established modern three-part test for evaluating Contract Clause challenges to state laws ⓘ
fullCaseName Energy Reserves Group, Inc. v. Kansas Power & Light Company ⓘ
holding State regulation that substantially impairs private contracts may be upheld if it serves a significant and legitimate public purpose and is based on reasonable and appropriate means. ⓘ
The Kansas Natural Gas Price Protection Act did not violate the Contract Clause as applied to the contracts at issue. ⓘ
impact clarified the modern Contract Clause analysis for state economic and utility regulation ⓘ
limited the scope of the Contract Clause as a constraint on state regulation of private contracts ⓘ
jurisdiction Kansas ⓘ
languageOfProceeding English ⓘ
legalDoctrine Contract Clause balancing test ⓘ
deference to legislative judgment in economic regulation ⓘ
legalIssue Contract Clause of the United States Constitution ⓘ
constitutionality of state regulation affecting private contracts ⓘ
state regulation of natural gas price-escalation clauses ⓘ
petitioner Energy Reserves Group, Inc. ⓘ
precedentFor subsequent Contract Clause cases involving state economic regulation ⓘ
relatedConcept economic regulation ⓘ
police power of the states ⓘ
public utility rate regulation ⓘ
respondent Kansas Power & Light Company ⓘ
stateLawInvolved Kansas Natural Gas Price Protection Act ⓘ
subjectMatter long-term natural gas supply contracts ⓘ
price-escalation clauses tied to federal regulation ⓘ
subjectOf scholarly commentary on the weakening of the Contract Clause in the 20th century ⓘ
testElement whether the adjustment of the contracting parties’ rights and responsibilities is based upon reasonable conditions and is of a character appropriate to the public purpose ⓘ
whether the state law has operated as a substantial impairment of a contractual relationship ⓘ
whether the state law is drawn in an appropriate and reasonable way to advance a significant and legitimate public purpose ⓘ
timePeriod 20th century ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Contract Clause → hasKeyCase → Energy Reserves Group, Inc. v. Kansas Power & Light Co. ⓘ
Energy Reserves Group, Inc. v. Kansas Power & Light Co. → fullCaseName → Energy Reserves Group, Inc. v. Kansas Power & Light Company ⓘ
linked to: Energy Reserves Group, Inc. v. Kansas Power & Light Co.
Contract Clause of the U.S. Constitution → majorCase → Energy Reserves Group, Inc. v. Kansas Power & Light Co. ⓘ