may 27, 1895 - The Supreme Court Rules, 9-0, in In re Debs that the federal government--i.e., the president--could legally intervene to protect interstate commerce and the US mail, and that the court did have the authority to issue an injunction preventing federal functions. Debs was guilty of defying the injunction. The court wrote, "The strong arm of the national government may be put forth to brush away all obstructions to the freedom of interstate commerce or the transportation of the mails."
Added to timeline:
Date:
may 27, 1895
Now
~ 131 years ago