Dean Milk Co. v. City of Madison
340 U.S. 349 · Decided January 15, 1951 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Dean Milk Co. v. City of Madison was decided on January 15, 1951 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Tom C. Clark wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “State or local business regulation” in the Economic Activity area. SCDB records that the Court declared a municipal or other local ordinance unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 340 U.S. 349 · 71 S. Ct. 295 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 329 · 1951 U.S. LEXIS 2251
- Docket number
- 258
- Decided
- January 15, 1951
- Argued
- December 7, 1950
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- State or local business regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 3 (interstate commerce clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Held unconstitutional
- A municipal or other local ordinance
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Dissent |
Full case caption
Dean Milk Co. v. City of Madison et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1950-029, docket 1950-029-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “State or local business regulation”
- Cities Service Gas Co. v. Peerless Oil & Gas Co.
- Phillips Petroleum Co. v. Oklahoma
- California State Automobile Association Inter-Insurance Bureau v. Maloney
- Standard Oil Co. v. New Jersey
- Breard v. Alexandria
- Buck v. California
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 3 (interstate commerce clause)
- Norton Company v. Department of Revenue of IllinoisLaw held unconstitutional
- Spector Motor Service, Inc. v. O'ConnorLaw held unconstitutional
- Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Co. v. Michigan Public Service Commission
- Capitol Greyhound Lines v. Brice
- Memphis Steam Laundry Cleaner, Inc. v. StoneLaw held unconstitutional
- Interstate Oil Pipe Line Co. v. Stone
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Fogarty v. United States
- Standard Oil Company of New Jersey v. United States
- Libby v. United States
- United States v. United States Gypsum Co.
- Feres v. United States
- Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. v. Supermarket Equipment Corp.
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