Mayor of Vidalia v. McNeely
Headline: Court forbids a town from forcing interstate ferry operators to get local licenses, upholds injunction protecting a long-running ferry service and allows use of designated river landings.
Holding: The Court held that a town cannot condition an otherwise competent operator’s right to run an interstate ferry on obtaining a local license and affirmed the injunction protecting the ferry operator.
- Prevents towns from barring interstate ferries by demanding local licenses.
- Protects long-running ferry operators carrying people and goods across state lines.
- Allows towns to set reasonable safety rules and rates but not exclude operators.
Summary
Background
McNeely, a Mississippi resident, had run a public ferry between Vidalia, Louisiana, and Natchez, Mississippi for more than twenty years. He kept three boats, floating docks, and a ramp at Concordia Street where he landed passengers and freight. His federal boat papers were in order but his local licenses had expired. The town of Vidalia granted an exclusive ten-year landing license to the city of Natchez, later assigned to the Royal Route Company, and passed an ordinance forbidding other craft within 150 feet of the designated landing. Vidalia then arrested and punished McNeely for operating without the local license, and he sued to stop the town’s conduct.
Reasoning
The Court considered whether a town can make a local license a condition for carrying people and goods across a state line. It explained that ferries that cross state lines are part of interstate transportation and are subject to federal regulation, but that local authorities may set reasonable rules on safety and rates when Congress has not acted. The Court held that a town may not require an otherwise capable operator to take out a local license as a prerequisite to operating an interstate ferry. The district court’s injunction was therefore proper. The Court also affirmed the lower court’s allocation of landing places because Louisiana law treats river banks as available for public landing use, so ownership of adjacent lots does not give exclusive landing rights.
Real world impact
The decision protects long-running interstate ferry services from being shut out by local licensing demands. Towns may still set reasonable safety rules and rates, but they cannot exclude interstate carriers by insisting on local licensing. The decree was affirmed.
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