The Steel Seizure Case

On April 8, 1952, President Harry Truman issued Executive Order No. 10340. That Executive Order directed the Secretary of Commerce to take possession of and operate most of the steel mills in the United States. President Truman’s action led to the famous decision in Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, 343 U.S. 579 (1952). By a 6-3 vote, the Court held that President Truman had no constitutional power to seize the steel mills.

Justice Black wrote the majority opinion. But each of the five other Justices who comprised the majority (Justices Jackson, Burton, Clark, Douglas, and Frankfurter) also wrote his own separate opinion. Chief Justice Vinson wrote a dissent, in which Justices Reed and Minton joined. The four Justices whom President Truman had appointed– Chief Justice Vinson, and Justices Burton, Clark and Minton– split evenly in this case.

The case featured some famous lawyers. John W. Davis, the 1924 Democratic candidate for President of the United States and a leading appellate practitioner, argued the case for the steel mills. Arthur J. Goldberg, a future Supreme Court Justice and United Nations Ambassador, argued on behalf of the United Steelworkers of America, an amicus curiae.

Youngstown Sheet & Tube is one of the most important opinions in Supreme Court history on the subject of the powers of the President, and April 8 is the most important date in that case. Thus, April 8 is truly a red letter day.