THE SUPREME COURT CASE “NORTHERN SECURITIES COMPANY VS. U.S” - THE FIRST BLOW TO MONOPOLIES

Danilova Elena Valeryevna

The article is devoted to the court case "Northern Securities Company vs. U.S." (193 U.S. 197, 1904), which became an important precedent in the history of American law. The purpose of this article is to study the specifics of the case in question in the historical retrospect of the United States at the beginning of the twentieth century, to clarify the consequences and identify the lessons learned by American legislators and courts from this experience. The Northern Securities Co. case has raised a number of important issues regarding the principles of free enterprise, the role of the state in the economy, and methods for preventing abuse by large companies. It was then that the question of the balance between the interests of business and the need to protect the public good first became acute. The court case is a vivid example of the clash between big business and the state in the struggle to regulate the market economy. Despite the historical significance of this case, it also demonstrated the weaknesses of the current legal system, which needs serious reforms. Today we see how important it is to have clear and fair legislation that promotes the development of a competitive environment and protects the interests of consumers. The decision in the Northern Securities case was of historical significance – it was established that the Sherman Act could be used to eliminate large monopolies, to prevent the consolidation of economic power. This has set a precedent for antimonopoly legislation. which was used in subsequent lawsuits against large corporations.

Keywords:USA, monopolies, T. Roosevelt, O.W. Holmes, the Sherman Act.