Bailey v. Alabama

E934443

Bailey v. Alabama is a 1911 U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down a state law effectively criminalizing breach of labor contracts, holding that it violated the Thirteenth Amendment’s prohibition of involuntary servitude.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Bailey v. Alabama canonical 1
Bailey v. State of Alabama 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (40)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Thirteenth Amendment case ⓘ
U.S. constitutional law case ⓘ
United States Supreme Court case ⓘ
areaOfLaw civil rights law ⓘ
criminal law ⓘ
labor law ⓘ
citation 219 U.S. 219 ⓘ
constitutionalProvisionInterpreted Anti-Peonage Act ⓘ
linked to: Peonage Act of 1867

Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ
country United States ⓘ
court Supreme Court of the United States ⓘ
decisionDate 1911 ⓘ
effect restricted states’ ability to use criminal law to coerce labor performance ⓘ
finding criminal penalties attached to labor contract breach could amount to involuntary servitude ⓘ
presumption of fraudulent intent from mere nonperformance of labor contract was unconstitutional when used to compel labor ⓘ
fullCaseName Bailey v. State of Alabama ⓘ
linked to: Bailey v. Alabama
historicalContext post-Reconstruction regulation of Black labor in the American South ⓘ
holding Alabama statute criminalizing breach of certain labor contracts violated the Thirteenth Amendment ⓘ
State may not use criminal law to enforce labor contracts in a way that compels involuntary servitude ⓘ
jurisdiction State of Alabama ⓘ
linked to: Alabama

United States ⓘ
languageOfProceedings English ⓘ
legalIssue constitutionality of criminal penalties for breach of labor contracts ⓘ
involuntary servitude under the Thirteenth Amendment ⓘ
peonage ⓘ
majorityOpinionBy Charles Evans Hughes ⓘ
party Alonzo Bailey ⓘ
State of Alabama ⓘ
linked to: Alabama
precedentFor interpretation of involuntary servitude beyond chattel slavery ⓘ
limits on criminal sanctions for breach of employment contracts ⓘ
recognizedAs landmark Thirteenth Amendment decision ⓘ
relatedConcept debt peonage ⓘ
forced labor ⓘ
post–Civil War labor control statutes ⓘ
result Alabama conviction reversed ⓘ
stateLawInvolved Alabama statute making failure to perform labor contract prima facie evidence of intent to defraud ⓘ
subsequentCitationIn later Thirteenth Amendment and peonage cases ⓘ
timePeriod Progressive Era ⓘ
typeOfRemedyLimited criminal enforcement of private labor contracts ⓘ
vote 7–2 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

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

Bailey v. Alabama → fullCaseName → Bailey v. State of Alabama ⓘ
linked to: Bailey v. Alabama