Facts of the Case

Provided by Oyez

Knudsen alleged that he had been hurt while working for Benson, and he sought compensation under the Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act. Crowell, a deputy commissioner of the U.S. Employees' Compensation Commission, issued an award to Knudsen. Benson sought to enjoin the enforcement of the award on the grounds that Knudsen had not been working for him when he was hurt. A federal court agreed that there was no employment relationship and issued an order restraining the award after it reviewed the law and the facts de novo. When Crowell sought certiorari at the Supreme Court, Benson contended that the Compensation Act had infringed on his constitutional rights of due process and a jury trial by giving judicial authority to Crowell as a deputy commissioner. He also argued that the Compensation Act violated Article III, while Crowell argued that the court should not have disturbed the award to Knudsen or engaged in a de novo review of the facts of the claim.


Can Americans Reconcile Our Constitutional System With an Expansive Administrative State?

Can Americans Reconcile Our Constitutional System With an Expansive Administrative State?

Federalist Society Review, Volume 19

A review of: Bureaucracy in America: The Administrative State’s Challenge to Constitutional Government, by Joseph...