Today in Supreme Court History: June 23, 1987

On June 23, 1987, the Supreme Court ruled in *South Dakota v. Dole* that Congress could use its taxing and spending powers to encourage states to raise their drinking age to 21. The decision affirmed the constitutionality of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, which withheld a portion of federal highway funds from states that did not comply.