C-SPAN series looks at 1952 Youngstown Sheet & Tube ruling

A 1952 Supreme Court ruling on a case that began in Youngstown will be the focus of tonight’s episode of “Landmark Cases” on C-SPAN.

The episode will look at Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. vs. Sawyer, which resulted in a ruling in favor of the steel company. The significance of the ruling is that it limited presidents’ power to seize private property.

The 90-minute show is part of a 12-part series on landmark Supreme Court decisions. It airs at 9 p.m.

The “Landmark Cases” series analyzes a dozen cases that have currency today, said Mark Farkas, executive producer, in an interview. It shows the relevance of the Supreme Court and looks at the people involved with bringing their grievance to the highest court.

Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v Sawyer significantly curbed executive power when the Supreme Court overturned President Truman’s seizure of steel mills during the Korean War.

The Court ruled 6-3 that the president’s actions were unconstitutional because they had not been authorized by congress.

By deciding that the Constitution gives congress, and not the president, this authority, the court affirmed the “separation of powers” essential to American government.

The basis of the case began in 1952, nearly two years into U.S. involvement in the Korean War.

The United Steel Workers of America had clashed with industry managers and threatened to strike for higher wages.

Because steel was an integral part of the war effort, Truman felt he couldn’t risk a halt in production, so he bypassed labor laws passed by Congress and ordered his secretary of commerce, Charles Sawyer, to seize and operate the steel mills.

The union was appeased and called off the strike, but the steel companies immediately fought back against the president’s seizure of their property.

The high court sided with the companies, concluding that nothing in the Constitution authorized the president to seize property in wartime without approval from Congress.