Number: RS20237
Title: COMMERCE CLAUSE ISSUES IN BRZONKALA V. VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AND STATE UNIVERSITY
Authors: T.J. Halstead, American Law Division 
Abstract: In Brzonkala v. Polytechnic Institute and State University, an en banc Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit considered the constitutionality of 43 U.S.C. Section 13981, which creates a federal cause of action against any person who commits a crime of violence motivated by gender animus. Analyzing section 13981 according the framework delineated in Lopez v. United States, the Fourth Circuit determined that gender motivated violence is not a commercial activity and is not substantially connected to interstate commerce, rendering the statute invalid under the Commerce Clause.
Pages: 6
Date: Updated June 17, 1999