Hendrix v. Louisiana Public Service Commission

SUMMERS, Justice.

Since colonial days bar pilots have performed an essential service for passage of ships through the entrances of the Mississippi River at the confluence of these outlets with the Gulf of Mexico. Pilots have been and remain vital cogs in the river’s commerce.

The organization and the operations of pilots engaged in this service have varied with changing times. As long ago as 1720 pilots operated from a base on a small island stronghold known as the Balize near the river’s mouth. Their work in these early times was closely related to the military defense. Under France, under…