Rice v. Santa Fe Elevator Corp.
331 U.S. 218 · Decided May 5, 1947 · 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. Santa Fe Elevator Corp. was decided on May 5, 1947 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 331 U.S. 218 · 67 S. Ct. 1146 · 91 L. Ed. 1447 · 1947 U.S. LEXIS 2938
- Docket number
- 470
- Decided
- May 5, 1947
- Argued
- February 13, 1947
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 7 U.S.C. § 241
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Dissent | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Rice et al. v. Santa Fe Elevator Corp. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1946-098, docket 1946-098-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- Rice v. Board of Trade of the City of Chicago
- Bethlehem Steel Co. v. New York State Labor Relations Board
- Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Co. v. Public Service Commission of Indiana
- Callaway v. Benton
- Wissner v. Wissner
- New Jersey Realty Title Insurance Co. v. Division of Tax Appeals of New Jersey
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Testa v. Katt
- Bethlehem Steel Co. v. New York State Labor Relations Board
- Rice v. Board of Trade of the City of Chicago
- United States v. Fullard-Leo
- United States v. CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
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