West Lynn Creamery, Inc. v. Healy, 512 U.S. 186, 7 (1994)

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192

WEST LYNN CREAMERY, INC. v. HEALY

Opinion of the Court

burdens interstate commerce." West Lynn Creamery, Inc. v. Commissioner of Dept. of Food and Agriculture, 415 Mass. 8, 15, 611 N. E. 2d 239, 243 (1993). The court noted that the "pricing order was designed to aid only Massachusetts producers." Id., at 16, 611 N. E. 2d, at 244. It conceded that "[c]ommon sense" indicated that the plan has an "adverse impact on interstate commerce" and that "[t]he fund distribution scheme does burden out-of-State producers." Id., at 17, 611 N. E. 2d, at 244. Nevertheless, the court asserted that "the burden is incidental given the purpose and design of the program." Id., at 18, 611 N. E. 2d, at 244. Because it found that the "local benefits" provided to the Commonwealth's dairy industry "outweigh any incidental burden on interstate commerce," it sustained the constitutionality of the pricing order. Id., at 19, 611 N. E. 2d, at 245. We granted certiorari, 510 U. S. 811 (1993), and now reverse.

II

The Commerce Clause vests Congress with ample power to enact legislation providing for the regulation of prices paid to farmers for their products. United States v. Darby, 312 U. S. 100 (1941); Wickard v. Filburn, 317 U. S. 111 (1942); Mandeville Island Farms, Inc. v. American Crystal Sugar Co., 334 U. S. 219 (1948). An affirmative exercise of that power led to the promulgation of the federal order setting minimum milk prices. The Commerce Clause also limits the power of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to adopt regulations that discriminate against interstate commerce. "This 'negative' aspect of the Commerce Clause prohibits economic protectionism—that is, regulatory measures designed to benefit in-state economic interests by burdening out-of-state competitors. . . . Thus, state statutes that clearly discriminate against interstate commerce are routinely struck down . . . unless the discrimination is demonstrably justified by a valid factor unrelated to economic protection-

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