Continental T.V., Inc. v. GTE Sylvania Inc.
433 U.S. 36 · Decided June 23, 1977 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Continental T.V., Inc. v. GTE Sylvania Inc. was decided on June 23, 1977 by a vote of 6–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Antitrust” in the Economic Activity area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 433 U.S. 36 · 97 S. Ct. 2549 · 53 L. Ed. 2d 568 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 134
- Docket number
- 76-15
- Decided
- June 23, 1977
- Argued
- February 28, 1977
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Antitrust
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Sherman Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Did not participate: William H. Rehnquist.
Full case caption
Continental T.V., Inc., et al. v. GTE Sylvania Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 1976-161, docket 1976-161-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Antitrust”
- Vendo Co. v. Lektro-Vend Corp.
- Illinois Brick Co. v. Illinois
- United States Steel Corp. v. Fortner Enterprises, Inc.
- Brunswick Corp. v. Pueblo Bowl-O-Mat, Inc.
- Pfizer Inc. v. Government of India
- City of Lafayette v. Louisiana Power & Light Co.
Cases on the same legal provision: Sherman Act
- Rice v. Norman Williams Co.
- Zenith Radio Corp. v. Hazeltine Research, Inc.
- United Mine Workers of America v. Pennington
- Local Union No. 189 v. Jewel Tea Co., Inc.
- Federal Trade Commission v. Superior Court Trial Lawyers Association
- United States v. First National Bank & Trust Co. of Lexington
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Boston Stock Exchange v. State Tax CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
- Brunswick Corp. v. Pueblo Bowl-O-Mat, Inc.
- United States Steel Corp. v. Fortner Enterprises, Inc.
- Piper v. Chris-Craft Industries, Inc.
- E. I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co. v. Train
- City of Philadelphia v. New Jersey
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