7 U.S.C. § 203
Section 203 · Activity as stockyard dealer or market agency; benefits to business and welfare of stockyard; registration; penalty for failure to register
Amended 3 times on record
Applied in 24 court decisions — leading case Butz v. Glover Livestock Commission Co. (1973)
Most recently applied in United States v. Cuesta (November 2014)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
After the expiration of thirty days after the Secretary has given public notice that any stockyard is within the definition of section 202 of this title, by posting copies of such notice in the stockyard, no person shall carry on the business of a market agency or dealer at such stockyard unless (1) the stockyard owner has determined that his services will be beneficial to the business and welfare of said stockyard, its patrons, and customers, which determination shall be made on a basis which is not unreasonable or unjustly discriminatory, and has given written authorization to such person, and (2) he has registered with the Secretary, under such rules and regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, his name and address, the character of business in which he is engaged, and the kinds of stockyards services, if any, which he furnishes at such stockyard. Every other person operating as a market agency or dealer as defined in section 201 of this title may be required to register in such manner as the Secretary may prescribe. Whoever violates the provisions of this section shall be liable to a penalty of not more than $500 for each such offense and not more than $25 for each day it continues, which shall accrue to the United States and may be recovered in a civil action brought by the United States.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Amendments
1968—Pub. L. 90–446 designated existing provisions as cl. (2) and added cl. (1).
1958—Pub. L. 85–909 inserted “Every other person operating as a market agency or dealer as defined in section 201 of this title may be required to register in such manner as the Secretary may prescribe.”
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
One form of action, see rule 2, Title 28, Appendix, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.
Cross References
Jurisdiction of district of action for penalty, see section 1355 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.