Shave and a Haircut · Close Shaves
The Cut-Rate Haircut
City of Mobile v. Rouse (1937)
Charge: Violating a city price-fixing ordinance - advertising and charging less than the minimum price for haircuts and shavesCourt: Alabama Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of Alabama (on appeal from the Circuit Court of Mobile County)Docket: Close Shaves
Could the city make it a crime for a barber to charge less than 30 cents for a haircut?
The facts
On October 15, 1935, during the Depression, the City of Mobile, Alabama adopted an ordinance for barber shops. Part of it set sanitation rules. The rest set minimum prices, including 30 cents for an adult haircut and 20 cents for a shave. A state law let cities pass such 'fair competition' rules when enough local shops asked for them, and made violations a misdemeanor carrying up to a $100 fine or 30 days for each day. Pat Rouse, who ran a barber shop in the city, kept advertising and charging less. He was arrested on a warrant, tried in the Recorder's Court and convicted. He appealed.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: City of Mobile v. Rouse, 233 Ala. 622 (1937)
Read more at courtlistener.com. The source reveals the outcome.