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Casebook Read Credits
Shameful or Ignored Supreme Court Cases
Resource 6 . 4
7 minutes

Butler v. Perry

Seth J. Chandler

1. You either have to work, find a substitute, or pay $3. Does the fact that this statute probably results in a disproportionate number of poor people doing tough road work have any bearing on its constitutionality? What if it disproportionately affected African Americans or other minority groups? 

2. If you can be drafted and forced to risk death in war, why can't the government demand a lesser service of road work?

3. Do you think this is a good idea. Instead of using government contracts to get government work done, force the population to share the burden?

Supreme Court of the United States
240 U.S. 328, 60 L. Ed. 672, 36 S. Ct. 258, SCDB 1915-104, 1916 U.S. LEXIS 1455
No. 182
1916-02-21

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