Rice v. Norman Williams Co.
458 U.S. 654 · Decided July 1, 1982 · 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
Rice v. Norman Williams Co. was decided on July 1, 1982 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William H. Rehnquist 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
- 458 U.S. 654 · 102 S. Ct. 3294 · 73 L. Ed. 2d 1042 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 156
- Docket number
- 80-1012
- Decided
- July 1, 1982
- Argued
- April 21, 1982
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- State or local business regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Sherman Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Rice, Director, Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control of California v. Norman Williams Co. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-168, docket 1981-168-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “State or local business regulation”
- Edgar v. Mite Corp.Law held unconstitutional
- New England Power Co. v. New HampshireLaw held unconstitutional
- G.D. Searle & Co. v. Cohn
- Energy Reserves Group, Inc. v. Kansas Power & Light Co.
- White v. Massachusetts Council of Construction Employers, Inc.
- Kassel v. Consolidated Freightways Corporation of DelawareLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Sherman Act
- Arizona v. Maricopa County Medical Society
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Inc. v. Hydrolevel Corp.
- Community Communications Co., Inc. v. City of Boulder
- National Gerimedical Hospital and Gerontology Center v. Blue Cross of Kansas City
- Texas Industries, Inc. v. Radcliff Materials, Inc.
- Monsanto Co. v. Spray-Rite Service Corp.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Watt v. Energy Action Educational Foundation
- Central Trust Co. v. Official Creditors' Committee of Geiger Enterprises, Inc.
- United States v. Clark
- Community Communications Co., Inc. v. City of Boulder
- New England Power Co. v. New HampshireLaw held unconstitutional
- G.D. Searle & Co. v. Cohn
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