City of Chicago v. Atchison
357 U.S. 77 · Decided June 16, 1958 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
City of Chicago v. Atchison was decided on June 16, 1958 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “National supremacy, public utilities” in the Federalism area. SCDB records that the Court declared a municipal or other local ordinance unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 357 U.S. 77 · 78 S. Ct. 1063 · 2 L. Ed. 2d 1174 · 1958 U.S. LEXIS 813
- Docket number
- 103
- Decided
- June 16, 1958
- Argued
- March 5, 1958
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- National supremacy, public utilities
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Article VI, Section 2 (supremacy clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Held unconstitutional
- A municipal or other local ordinance
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority |
Full case caption
City of Chicago v. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1957-119, docket 1957-119-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, public utilities”
- City of Tacoma v. Taxpayers of Tacoma
- Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Co. v. Michigan Public Service Commission
- Regents of the University System of Georgia v. Carroll
- Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen & Enginemen v. Chicago
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission v. Mississippi
- Verizon Md. Inc. v. Public Service Comm'n of Md.
Cases on the same legal provision: Article VI, Section 2 (supremacy clause)
- United States v. City of Detroit
- United States v. Township of Muskegon
- City of Detroit v. Murray Corporation of America
- Public Utilities Commission of California v. United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
- Rogers v. Calumet National Bank of Hammond
- Werner Machine Co., Inc. v. Director of Division of Taxation
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Youngdahl v. Rainfair, Inc.
- Public Utilities Commission of California v. United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
- International Association of Machinists v. Gonzales
- International Union v. Russell
- City of Tacoma v. Taxpayers of Tacoma
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error