United States and Department of Agriculture v. United Foods, Inc.
533 U.S. 405 · Decided June 25, 2001 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
United States and Department of Agriculture v. United Foods, Inc. was decided on June 25, 2001 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Commercial speech, excluding attorneys” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 533 U.S. 405 · 121 S. Ct. 2334 · 150 L. Ed. 2d 438 · 2001 U.S. LEXIS 4904
- Docket number
- 00-276
- Decided
- June 25, 2001
- Argued
- April 17, 2001
- 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
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Commercial speech, excluding attorneys
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- 7 U.S.C. § 6101
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
United States and Department of Agriculture v. United Foods, Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 2000-081, docket 2000-081-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Commercial speech, excluding attorneys”
- Tommy G. Thompson v. Western States Medical CenterLaw held unconstitutional
- Los Angeles Police Department v. United Reporting Publishing Corporation
- Greater New Orleans Broadcasting Association, Inc., Etc. v. United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
- Mike Johanns v. Livestock Marketing Association
- Dan Glickman v. Wileman Brothers & Elliott, Inc.
- 44 Liquormart, Inc. and Peoples Super Liquor Stores, Inc. v. Rhode Island and Rhode Island Liquor Stores AssociationAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Legal Services Corporation v. Carmen VelazquezLaw held unconstitutional
- Robert Shaw v. Kevin Murphy
- Bartnicki v. VopperLaw held unconstitutional
- Good News Club v. Milford Central School
- Federal Election Commission v. Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee
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