Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer

US Supreme Court decision of 1952 dealing with the right of the US president to nationalize private industry during wartime. The case arose over President Truman's seizure of steel mills during the Korean War. A crucial part of the war effort, the steel industry had been on the brink of a national strike. The Court ruled that the president's actions were illegal because neither Congressional legislation nor the Constitution had empowered him to intervene in labour disputes or to nationalize property.