Clay v. Sun Insurance Office, Ltd.
377 U.S. 179 · Decided May 18, 1964 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Clay v. Sun Insurance Office, Ltd. was decided on May 18, 1964 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “State or local business regulation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 377 U.S. 179 · 84 S. Ct. 1197 · 12 L. Ed. 2d 229 · 1964 U.S. LEXIS 1276
- Docket number
- 470
- Decided
- May 18, 1964
- Argued
- April 28, 1964
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- State or local business regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Article IV, Section 1 (full faith and credit clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
Clay v. Sun Insurance Office, Ltd.
SCDB identifiers: case 1963-114, docket 1963-114-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “State or local business regulation”
- Hudson Distributors, Inc. v. Eli Lilly & Co.
- Polar Ice Cream & Creamery Co. v. AndrewsLaw held unconstitutional
- City of El Paso v. Simmons
- Florida Lime & Avocado Growers, Inc. v. Paul
- Ferguson v. SkrupaAltered precedent
- Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc. v. Hostetter
Cases on the same legal provision: Article IV, Section 1 (full faith and credit clause)
- Aldrich v. Aldrich
- Crider v. Zurich Insurance Co.
- Simons v. Miami Beach First National Bank
- Ford v. Ford
- Watkins v. Conway
- Vanderbilt v. VanderbiltAltered precedent
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Tipton v. Socony Mobil Oil Co., Inc.
- Securities and Exchange Commission v. Capital Gains Research Bureau, Inc.
- Dennis v. Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Co.
- Eichel v. New York Central Railroad Co.
- Polar Ice Cream & Creamery Co. v. AndrewsLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Wiesenfeld Warehouse Co.
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