Question

How did the Supreme Court respond to President Truman’s decision to keep steel mills open in 1952 during a labor dispute?

Answer 1

The Court ruled that only Congress had the power to keep the mills open

Answer 2

In 1952 there was a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court declared in Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer that the President did not have authority to seize the steel mills. Justice Hugo Black held the view that the president had no legal authority under the Constitution to seize individual property on the basis of national security. Since Congress had not otherwise authorized president Truman to seize the steel mills, he therefore could not do so.