Sullivan v. United States
395 U.S. 169 · Decided May 26, 1969 · 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
Sullivan v. United States was decided on May 26, 1969 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “National supremacy, state tax” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 395 U.S. 169 · 89 S. Ct. 1648 · 23 L. Ed. 2d 182 · 1969 U.S. LEXIS 1512
- Docket number
- 610
- Decided
- May 26, 1969
- Argued
- April 2, 1969
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- National supremacy, state tax
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 50 U.S.C. § 574
- 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 | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority |
Full case caption
Sullivan, Tax Commissioner of Connecticut, et al. v. United States et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1968-105, docket 1968-105-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, state tax”
- United States v. State Tax Commission of Mississippi
- Department of Revenue v. James B. Beam Distilling Co.Law held unconstitutional
- Humble Pipe Line Co. v. Waggonner
- United States v. County of Fresno
- Michigan National Bank v. Michigan
- Pekao Trading Corp. v. Bragalini
Cases on the same legal provision: 50 U.S.C. § 574
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen & Enginemen v. Chicago
- United States v. Louisiana
- United States v. Louisiana
- Utah v. United States
- United States v. Louisiana
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