Healy v. the Beer Institute
491 U.S. 324 · Decided June 19, 1989 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Healy v. the Beer Institute was decided on June 19, 1989 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “State or local business regulation” in the Economic Activity area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 491 U.S. 324 · 109 S. Ct. 2491 · 105 L. Ed. 2d 275 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 3041
- Docket number
- 88-449
- Decided
- June 19, 1989
- Argued
- March 28, 1989
- Court era
- Rehnquist 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
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- 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
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Healy et al. v. the Beer Institute et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-121, docket 1988-121-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “State or local business regulation”
- Northwest Central Pipeline Corp. v. State Corporation Commission of Kansas
- CTS Corp. v. Dynamics Corporation of America
- General Motors Corporation v. Evert Romein
- Fort Gratiot Sanitary Landfill, Inc. v. Michigan Department of Natural ResourcesLaw held unconstitutional
- Maine v. Taylor
- Brown-Forman Distillers Corp. v. New York State Liquor AuthorityLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 3 (interstate commerce clause)
- Amerada Hess Corp. v. Director
- Goldberg v. Sweet
- Bendix Autolite Corp. v. Midwesco Enterprises, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- New Energy Company of Indiana v. LimbachLaw held unconstitutional
- D. H. Holmes Co., Ltd. v. McNamara
- Trinova Corporation v. Michigan Department of Treasury
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Goldberg v. Sweet
- Allegheny Pittsburgh Coal Co. v. County Commission of Webster CountyLaw held unconstitutional
- Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. v. Bruch
- Northwest Central Pipeline Corp. v. State Corporation Commission of Kansas
- Amerada Hess Corp. v. Director
- Massachusetts v. Morash
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