Case library · The Poacher's Docket
What the Bait Brings
Maine v. Taylor (1986)
Charge: Illegal importation of live baitfishCourt: U.S. Supreme CourtState: MaineDocket: The Poacher's Docket
Can a state ban all imports of live bait fish when it cannot inspect the shipments for parasites or stowaway species?
The facts
A bait dealer arranged for a hundred and fifty-eight thousand live bait minnows to be shipped in from out of state. That state had long banned importing live bait fish of any kind. Experts told the court that imported bait carries three parasites rare in local water, and that other small species get mixed in with a shipment. Sorting fish that small, in those numbers, was called a physical impossibility.
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: Maine v. Taylor, 477 U.S. 131 (1986)
Read more at caselaw.findlaw.com. The source reveals the outcome.