The Commerce Clause of the Constitution allows Congress to regulate anything that has a substantial economic effect on commerce even if that effect is indirect. Decided November 9, 1942 (argued May 4, 1942). Opinion of the Court: Robert H. Jackson → go there Applied: the First Amendment → go there Applied: the Fifth Amendment → go there Topic: Federalism. Wickard v. Filburn, 317 U.S. 111 (1942), is a landmark United States Supreme Court decision that dramatically increased the regulatory power of the federal government. It remains as one of the most important and far-reaching cases concerning the New Deal, and it set a precedent for an expansive reading of the U.S. Constitution's Commerce Clause for decades to come. The goal of the legal challenge was to end the entire federal crop support program by declaring it unconstitutional. Wiki link