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January 17, 1920: Prohibition Takes Effect
This is the last day before the Volstead Act begins. The Volstead Act will illegalize the buying and shipping of alcohol. This day was filled with much violence and fighting because everyone wanted what little alcohol was left. -
June 7, 1920: National Prohibition Cases
When the Supreme Court repealed the Prohibition Act because they found it to be unconstitutional. This means that not every state is required to enforce the Valstead act. -
August 23, 1921: Hiram Walker & Sons v. Lawson
A legal case in Michigan during Prohibition involved shipping Canadian liquor through the U.S. to Mexico: Judge Tuttle initially ruled that stopping these shipments would break an old treaty with Britain from 1871. This ruling made it easier for people to smuggle Canadian alcohol into the U.S. However, in 1922, the Supreme Court overturned this decision. The Supreme Court said these shipments went against the Volstead Act. -
May 8, 1922: George Remus Goes on Trial
George Remus, nicknamed the "King of the Bootleggers," faced trial in Cincinnati for breaking prohibition laws. Judge John W. Peck found him guilty. As punishment, Remus served two years in an Atlanta federal prison and one extra year in an Ohio jail because he used his farm for illegal alcohol operations. -
December 11, 1922: U.S. v. Lanza
The 1922 Supreme Court case United States v. Lanza established an important legal principle during Prohibition. The Court ruled that someone could be charged twice for the same alcohol-related crime - once under state law and once under federal law - without violating the Constitution's protection against double jeopardy -
May 5, 1924: Hester v. U.S.
The Hester v. United States case established that the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches doesn't apply to open fields around someone's house. When officers watched a suspect from hidden spots in a field and saw him hand over a bottle during Prohibition, the Court ruled this wasn't a "search" under the Fourth Amendment. This decision, known as the "open fields doctrine," made it easier for officers to enforce Prohibition laws. -
June 9, 1924: Everard's Breweries v. Day
The Volstead Act banned alcohol for drinking but allowed it for industrial, religious, and medical uses. In 1921, Congress banned the medical use of malt liquors. When two companies sued, claiming Congress only had the power to ban drinking alcohol, the Supreme Court disagreed. The Court ruled that Congress had the right to make laws enforcing Prohibition, including restricting medical uses of malt liquor. -
February 15, 1925: Judge John McGee
Judge McGee, known for strictly punishing those who broke Prohibition laws in Minnesota, died by suicide. Before his death, he wrote a letter expressing his exhaustion from the endless stream of Prohibition cases. He noted that his attempt to quickly process these cases since March 1923 ultimately overwhelmed him, instead of solving the problem. -
March 2, 1925: U.S. v. Carroll
The 1925 Supreme Court case United States v. Carroll established that police can search vehicles without a warrant if they reasonably believe the vehicle contains illegal items. This ruling, which came during Prohibition to help enforce alcohol laws, created an important exception to the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirements that police still use today. -
December 14, 1925: The Jack Daniels Whiskey Case
The 1920s Jack Daniels Whiskey case was a major Prohibition-era trial in Indianapolis. The case involved a conspiracy to steal and illegally sell over 30,000 gallons of whiskey from a St. Louis warehouse. While famous bootlegger George Remus avoided punishment by helping prosecutors, 24 others were found guilty, though some convictions were later overturned.