Regulatory-Framework

Hart-Scott-Rodino Act Requires Pre-Merger Notification, Last Major Antitrust Strengthening Before Reagan Dismantlement

| Importance: 9/10

President Gerald Ford signed the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (HSR Act), requiring companies to notify the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice Antitrust Division of large proposed mergers and wait 30 days before consummating transactions, giving regulators time to …

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Federal Election Commission Begins Operations, Institutionalizing Corporate PAC Framework

| Importance: 8/10

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) commences operations with six commissioners appointed by President Gerald Ford, establishing the regulatory framework that will institutionalize and legitimize the explosion of corporate political action committees following the 1974 FECA amendments. Created as …

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Interstate Commerce Act: First Federal Regulatory Response to Corporate Monopoly

| Importance: 8/10

On February 4, 1887, President Grover Cleveland approved the Interstate Commerce Act, creating the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to oversee railroad industry conduct. This landmark legislation made railroads the first industry subject to federal regulation in American history, responding to …

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Munn v. Illinois: Supreme Court Affirms Public Power to Regulate Monopolies

| Importance: 7/10

In March 1877, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Munn v. Illinois (94 U.S. 113), affirming in a 7-2 decision that states possess constitutional authority to regulate private industries when such regulation serves the public good. Chief Justice Morrison Waite wrote for the majority that because grain …

U.S. Supreme Court Morrison Waite National Grange Illinois Legislature Munn & Scott regulatory-framework supreme-court granger-movement democratic-resistance public-interest
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