Siegel v. Fitzgerald

Summary

The Court held that Congress violated the Bankruptcy Clause's uniformity requirement by imposing a significant Chapter 11 fee increase on debtors in Trustee Program districts while exempting debtors in two States. The fee provision was subject to the Bankruptcy Clause because it concerned bankruptcy and affected debtor-creditor relations, and the geographic disparity resulted from an artificial funding distinction created by Congress rather than a geographically isolated problem. The Court reversed and remanded for the lower court to determine the appropriate remedy.