Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Company (1900)
- Docket
- 31
- Decided
- 1900-1940-
Summary
Question: Did the village of Euclid's zoning ordinance violate Ambler Realty's rights to liberty and property under the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment? Conclusion: In a 6-3 opinion authored by Justice George Sutherland, the Court concluded that the speculative damages claimed by Ambler Realty were insufficient to invalidate an otherwise valid exercise of the village's police power. While Ambler had standing to sue, the Court rejected its arguments on the constitutionality of the zoning ordinance, which it found neither arbitrary nor unreasonable. Applying a deferential standard of review, as the Court typically applies to constitutional challenges to economic regulations, the Court held the ordinance did not exceed the local government’s police power. Zoning regulations, the Court explained, will generally be upheld as long as there is some connection to the public welfare.