The PARKER, Director of Agriculture, et al. v. BROWN court case was about the legality of the California Agricultural Prorate Act, which was enacted in 1933 to restrict competition among raisin producers in order to stabilize prices.
The case was brought by a raisin producer, Brown, who attempted to enjoin the enforcement of the Act on the grounds that it was causing him irreparable economic harm due to its regulations. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of the State of California, holding that the actions taken by state governments under the Act were exempt from the scope of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The Court found that the state's regulation of the raisin market was a valid exercise of its police powers to address the economic crisis facing the raisin industry, and did not constitute an unlawful restraint of trade.