McBoyle v. United States
McBoyle v. United States, 283 U.S. 25 (1931), was a United States Supreme Court case.
| McBoyle v. United States | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued February 26–27, 1931 Decided March 9, 1931 | |
| Full case name | McBoyle v. United States |
| Citations | 283 U.S. 25 (more) 51 S. Ct. 340; 75 L. Ed. 816; 1931 U.S. LEXIS 861 |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Certiorari to the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit |
| Holding | |
| The court held that since the law did not specify aircraft, it did not apply to aircraft. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinion | |
| Majority | Holmes, joined by unanimous |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. | |
Background
William McBoyle transported a plane that he knew to be stolen from Ottawa, Illinois to Guymon, Oklahoma.
Case
McBoyle was accused of violating the National Motor Vehicle Theft Act.[1] The petitioners claimed that since the act did not specifically mention aircraft, it did not apply to aircraft.
Decision
The court held that, since other acts – such as the Tariff Act of 1930[2] – specifically excluded aircraft in its definition of a vehicle, the law must be interpreted narrowly. Justice Holmes stated:
Although it is not likely that a criminal will carefully consider the text of the law before he murders or steals, it is reasonable that a fair warning should be given to the world in language that the common world will understand, of what the law intends to do if a certain line is passed. To make the warning fair, so far as possible the line should be clear.
This case is a good example of the canon of ejusdem generis ("of the same kind, class, or nature").
References
- National Motor Vehicle Theft Act, October 29, 1919, c. 89, 41 Stat 324
- Tariff Act, June 17, 1930, c. 997, § 401 (b)
External links
- Text of 283 U.S. 25 (1931) is available from: Justia Library of Congress