The Archive
Reference Library
The founding document as written, a plain overview of the seven Articles, and a glossary of archaic and legal terms.
Back to Supreme Court Rulings
Immigration & Citizenship
Chae Chan Ping v. United States (The Chinese Exclusion Case)
Decided: 1889
In brief
Upheld broad congressional power to exclude immigrants, establishing the 'plenary power' doctrine over immigration.
The Court's ruling in depth
The Court upheld the Chinese Exclusion Act's revocation of re-entry rights previously granted to Chinese laborers. It located immigration power in national sovereignty itself, largely beyond ordinary constitutional constraints — the origin of the 'plenary power' doctrine that still shapes American immigration law.