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National League of Cities v. Usery - Wikipedia

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dir="ltr"><p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p> <div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">1976 United States Supreme Court case</div><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1257001546">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme)>div:not(.notheme)[style]{background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme) div:not(.notheme){background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media(min-width:640px){body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table{display:table!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>caption{display:table-caption!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>tbody{display:table-row-group}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table tr{display:table-row!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table th,body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table td{padding-left:inherit;padding-right:inherit}}</style><table class="infobox scotus" style="line-height: 1.4em"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above fn" style="background-color: #99c0ff; padding: 0.2em; line-height: 1.4em; font-size:125%; font-style: italic">National League of Cities v. Usery</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><span title="Seal of the United States Supreme Court"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Seal_of_the_United_States_Supreme_Court.svg/100px-Seal_of_the_United_States_Supreme_Court.svg.png" decoding="async" width="100" height="100" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Seal_of_the_United_States_Supreme_Court.svg/150px-Seal_of_the_United_States_Supreme_Court.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Seal_of_the_United_States_Supreme_Court.svg/200px-Seal_of_the_United_States_Supreme_Court.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="720" data-file-height="720" /></span></span><div class="infobox-caption" style="padding-top: 0.5em; font-weight: bold"><a href="/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States" title="Supreme Court of the United States">Supreme Court of the United States</a></div></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header" style="background-color: #99c0ff; white-space:nowrap">Argued April 16, 1975<br />Reargued March 2, 1976<br />Decided June 24, 1976</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Full case name</th><td class="infobox-data"><i>The National League of Cities, et al. v. W. J. Usery, Jr., Sec. of Labor</i></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Citations</th><td class="infobox-data">426 <a href="/wiki/United_States_Reports" title="United States Reports">U.S.</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://supreme.justia.com/us/426/833/case.html">833</a> (<i><a href="/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_cases,_volume_426" title="List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 426">more</a></i>)<div>96 S.Ct. 2465; 49 <a href="/wiki/L._Ed._2d" class="mw-redirect" title="L. Ed. 2d">L. Ed. 2d</a> 245</div></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header" style="background-color: #99c0ff; white-space:nowrap">Case history</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Prior</th><td class="infobox-data"><i>Nat'l League of Cities v. Brennan</i>, 406 <a href="/wiki/F._Supp." class="mw-redirect" title="F. Supp.">F. Supp.</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/406/826/2143925/">826</a> (<a href="/wiki/D.D.C." class="mw-redirect" title="D.D.C.">D.D.C.</a> 1974); temporary injunction granted, <a href="/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_cases,_volume_419" title="List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 419">419</a>&#32;<a href="/wiki/United_States_Reports" title="United States Reports">U.S.</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/419/1321/">1321</a>&#32;(1974); probable jurisdiction noted, <a href="/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_cases,_volume_420" title="List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 420">420</a>&#32;<a href="/wiki/United_States_Reports" title="United States Reports">U.S.</a> 906&#32;(1975).</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header" style="background-color: #99c0ff; white-space:nowrap">Holding</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data">FLSA as applied to state employers was unconstitutional as a violation of Amendment X of the Constitution.</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header" style="background-color: #99c0ff; white-space:nowrap">Court membership</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><dl style="margin:0; padding:0.1em 0.5em; text-align:center; line-height:1.3em;"> <dt style="margin:0;">Chief Justice</dt> <dd style="margin:0 0 0.3em;"><a href="/wiki/Warren_E._Burger" title="Warren E. Burger">Warren E. Burger</a> </dd> <dt style="margin:0;">Associate Justices</dt> <dd style="margin:0;"><a href="/wiki/William_J._Brennan_Jr." title="William J. Brennan Jr.">William J. Brennan Jr.</a>&#160;<b>&#183;</b>&#32; <a href="/wiki/Potter_Stewart" title="Potter Stewart">Potter Stewart</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Byron_White" title="Byron White">Byron White</a>&#160;<b>&#183;</b>&#32; <a href="/wiki/Thurgood_Marshall" title="Thurgood Marshall">Thurgood Marshall</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Harry_Blackmun" title="Harry Blackmun">Harry Blackmun</a>&#160;<b>&#183;</b>&#32; <a href="/wiki/Lewis_F._Powell_Jr." title="Lewis F. Powell Jr.">Lewis F. Powell Jr.</a><br /><a href="/wiki/William_Rehnquist" title="William Rehnquist">William Rehnquist</a>&#160;<b>&#183;</b>&#32; <a href="/wiki/John_Paul_Stevens" title="John Paul Stevens">John P. Stevens</a> </dd></dl></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header" style="background-color: #99c0ff; white-space:nowrap">Case opinions</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Majority</th><td class="infobox-data">Rehnquist, joined by Burger, Stewart, Blackmun, Powell</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Concurrence</th><td class="infobox-data">Blackmun</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Dissent</th><td class="infobox-data">Brennan, joined by White, Marshall</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Dissent</th><td class="infobox-data">Stevens</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header" style="background-color: #99c0ff; white-space:nowrap">Laws applied</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><a href="/wiki/Fair_Labor_Standards_Act" class="mw-redirect" title="Fair Labor Standards Act">Fair Labor Standards Act</a> (FLSA), <a href="/wiki/Tenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution">U.S. Const. amend. X</a></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><div style="background-color: #B60000; color: white; font-weight: bold">Overruled by</div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><i><a href="/wiki/Garcia_v._San_Antonio_Metropolitan_Transit_Authority" title="Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority">Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority</a></i>, <a href="/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_cases,_volume_469" title="List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 469">469</a>&#32;<a href="/wiki/United_States_Reports" title="United States Reports">U.S.</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/469/528/">528</a>&#32;(1985)</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><div style="background-color: green; color: white; font-weight: bold">This case overturned a previous ruling or rulings</div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><i><a href="/w/index.php?title=Maryland_v._Wirtz&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Maryland v. Wirtz (page does not exist)">Maryland v. Wirtz</a></i>, <a href="/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_cases,_volume_392" title="List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 392">392</a>&#32;<a href="/wiki/United_States_Reports" title="United States Reports">U.S.</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/392/183/">183</a>&#32;(1968)</td></tr></tbody></table> <p><i><b>National League of Cities v. Usery</b></i>, 426 U.S. 833 (1976), was a case in which the <a href="/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States" title="Supreme Court of the United States">Supreme Court of the United States</a> held that the <a href="/wiki/Fair_Labor_Standards_Act" class="mw-redirect" title="Fair Labor Standards Act">Fair Labor Standards Act</a> could not constitutionally be applied to state governments.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> The decision was overruled by the U.S. Supreme Court in <i><a href="/wiki/Garcia_v._San_Antonio_Metropolitan_Transit_Authority" title="Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority">Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority</a></i>.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Background">Background</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=National_League_of_Cities_v._Usery&amp;action=edit&amp;section=1" title="Edit section: Background"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>This case involved a dispute concerning the extent of the U.S. federal government’s Commerce Clause power to regulate the activities of the states. </p><p>The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which was upheld in <i><a href="/wiki/United_States_v._Darby_Lumber_Co." title="United States v. Darby Lumber Co.">United States v. Darby Lumber Co.</a></i>,<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> was later amended to remove state exemptions pertaining to employees of state institutions. The FLSA imposed on all public employers certain minimum wage standards and maximum work hours limitations. Those limitations had previously been restricted to those individual businesses and private employees engaged in interstate commerce. After the amendment, the FLSA applied equally to all state employees including those in hospitals and schools which are areas typically thought to be outside the penumbra of "interstate commerce" regulatory powers. </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/U.S._Supreme_Court" class="mw-redirect" title="U.S. Supreme Court">U.S. Supreme Court</a> granted certiorari, and the question presented was whether the <a href="/wiki/Tenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution">Tenth Amendment</a> barred Congress from exercising its commerce powers to regulate wages, hours, and benefits of State employees, when doing so is a power traditionally reserved to states. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Rehnquist's_majority_opinion"><span id="Rehnquist.27s_majority_opinion"></span>Rehnquist's majority opinion</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=National_League_of_Cities_v._Usery&amp;action=edit&amp;section=2" title="Edit section: Rehnquist&#039;s majority opinion"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Relying on language from <i><a href="/wiki/Heart_of_Atlanta_Motel_v._United_States" class="mw-redirect" title="Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States">Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States</a></i>,<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> Justice <a href="/wiki/William_Rehnquist" title="William Rehnquist">William Rehnquist</a>, writing for the majority, acknowledged that Congress may exercise power over private endeavors even when doing so preempts state law so long as the means chosen are reasonably adapted to the legitimate ends. However, the Court distinguished the case from <i>Darby</i>, explaining that the 10th amendment declares that Congress cannot exercise its power so as to impair the states' integrity or their ability to function effectively in a federal system. Congress may have the authority to regulate individual businesses under the <a href="/wiki/Commerce_Clause" title="Commerce Clause">Commerce Clause</a>, but in this case they are regulating not just individuals, but the "States as States." Additionally, the Court recognized that while Congress may have the affirmative authority under the Commerce Clause to reach the matter, the Constitution prohibits Federal regulation of that matter. The Court concluded that determinations of state employee wages, and compensations, as well as the hours they may work, are "functions essential to separate and independent existence," and that those functions are state plenary powers protected from Congressional infringement. To allow otherwise, the majority reasoned, would be to neglect the federal system of government embodied by the Constitution. </p><p>The majority abandoned the reasoning applied in <i><a href="/w/index.php?title=Maryland_v._Wirtz&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Maryland v. Wirtz (page does not exist)">Maryland v. Wirtz</a></i><sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> and cited the fears of unchecked power expressed by Justice <a href="/wiki/William_O._Douglas" title="William O. Douglas">Douglas</a> in his dissent. The majority also mentioned that the FLSA's requirements would force states to restructure many of their existing policies, and would result in a substantial cost burden. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Blackmun's_concurrence"><span id="Blackmun.27s_concurrence"></span>Blackmun's concurrence</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=National_League_of_Cities_v._Usery&amp;action=edit&amp;section=3" title="Edit section: Blackmun&#039;s concurrence"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Justice <a href="/wiki/Harry_Blackmun" title="Harry Blackmun">Harry Blackmun</a>'s interpretation of the majority view was that it advocated the courts to use a balancing approach that weighed the importance of the government’s interest with how essential the state functions are to the state’s separate and independent existence. </p><p>Blackmun was later the swing justice who switched sides and helped overturn the case, asserting that the "traditional government functions" test he had previously supported had proved "unworkable." </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=National_League_of_Cities_v._Usery&amp;action=edit&amp;section=4" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_cases,_volume_426" title="List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 426">List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 426</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=National_League_of_Cities_v._Usery&amp;action=edit&amp;section=5" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>National League of Cities v. Usery</i>,&#32;<a href="/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_cases,_volume_426" title="List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 426">426</a>&#32;<a href="/wiki/United_States_Reports" title="United States Reports">U.S.</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/426/833/">833</a>&#32;(1976).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Hail, Michael W. and J. Gregory Frye. 2006. "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://encyclopedia.federalism.org/index.php?title=National_League_of_Cities_v._Usery">National League of Cities v. Usery</a>." <i>Federalism in America: An Encyclopedia</i>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i><a href="/wiki/Garcia_v._San_Antonio_Metropolitan_Transit_Authority" title="Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority">Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Auth.</a></i>,&#32;<a href="/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_cases,_volume_469" title="List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 469">469</a>&#32;<a href="/wiki/United_States_Reports" title="United States Reports">U.S.</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/469/528/">528</a>&#32;(1985).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i><a href="/wiki/United_States_v._Darby_Lumber_Co." title="United States v. Darby Lumber Co.">United States v. Darby Lumber Co.</a></i>,&#32;<a href="/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_cases,_volume_312" title="List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 312">312</a>&#32;<a href="/wiki/United_States_Reports" title="United States Reports">U.S.</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/312/100/">100</a>&#32;(1941).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i><a href="/wiki/Heart_of_Atlanta_Motel,_Inc._v._United_States" title="Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States">Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States</a></i>,&#32;<a href="/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_cases,_volume_379" title="List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 379">379</a>&#32;<a href="/wiki/United_States_Reports" title="United States Reports">U.S.</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/379/241/">241</a>&#32;(1964).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Maryland v. Wirtz</i>,&#32;<a href="/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_cases,_volume_392" title="List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 392">392</a>&#32;<a href="/wiki/United_States_Reports" title="United States Reports">U.S.</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/392/183/">183</a>&#32;(1968).</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=National_League_of_Cities_v._Usery&amp;action=edit&amp;section=6" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li>Text of <i>National League of Cities v. Usery</i>, <a href="/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_cases,_volume_426" title="List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 426">426</a>&#32;<a href="/wiki/United_States_Reports" title="United States Reports">U.S.</a> 833&#32;(1976) is available from:&#x20;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/426/833.html">Findlaw</a>&#x20;&#x20;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://supreme.justia.com/us/426/833/case.html">Justia</a>&#x20;&#x20;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep426/usrep426833/usrep426833.pdf">Library&#160;of&#160;Congress</a>&#x20;&#x20;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/1974/74-878">Oyez (oral argument audio)</a>&#x20;</li></ul> <!-- NewPP limit report Parsed by mw‐web.codfw.main‐5857dfdcd6‐8vtsn Cached time: 20241203071149 Cache expiry: 60496 Reduced expiry: true Complications: [vary‐revision‐sha1, show‐toc] CPU time usage: 0.229 seconds Real time usage: 0.294 seconds Preprocessor visited node count: 7414/1000000 Post‐expand include size: 35870/2097152 bytes Template argument size: 20205/2097152 bytes Highest expansion depth: 16/100 Expensive parser function count: 10/500 Unstrip recursion depth: 0/20 Unstrip post‐expand size: 5240/5000000 bytes Lua time usage: 0.050/10.000 seconds Lua memory usage: 1793837/52428800 bytes Number of Wikibase entities loaded: 0/400 --> <!-- Transclusion expansion time report (%,ms,calls,template) 100.00% 266.622 1 -total 78.24% 208.595 1 Template:Infobox_SCOTUS_case 50.63% 135.001 1 Template:Infobox 34.15% 91.063 1 Template:Infobox_US_Supreme_Court_case/courts 25.90% 69.066 225 Template:If_between 22.64% 60.362 1 Template:Short_description 12.01% 32.009 6 Template:Main_other 10.89% 29.025 1 Template:Use_mdy_dates 10.13% 27.014 2 Template:Pagetype 9.25% 24.654 1 Template:SDcat --> <!-- Saved in parser cache with key enwiki:pcache:4677278:|#|:idhash:canonical and timestamp 20241203071149 and revision id 1259319795. 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