Reilly v. Pinkus
338 U.S. 269 · Decided November 14, 1949 · 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
Reilly v. Pinkus was decided on November 14, 1949 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Consumer protection” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 338 U.S. 269 · 70 S. Ct. 110 · 94 L. Ed. 2d 63 · 1949 U.S. LEXIS 3083
- Docket number
- 31
- Decided
- November 14, 1949
- Argued
- October 13, 1949
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Consumer protection
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 39 U.S.C. § 259
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Did not participate: William O. Douglas.
Full case caption
Reilly, Postmaster, v. Pinkus, Trading as American Health Aids Co., Also Known as Energy Food Center
SCDB identifiers: case 1949-009, docket 1949-009-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Consumer protection”
- Kordel v. United States
- United States v. Urbuteit
- 62 Cases of Jam v. United States
- United States v. Allied Oil Corp.
- Woods v. Stone
- United States v. Sullivan
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- United States v. Spelar
- Treichler v. WisconsinLaw held unconstitutional
- Faulkner v. Gibbs
- United States v. Capital Transit Company
- Brown v. Western Railway of Alabama
- Manufacturers Trust Co. v. Becker
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