United States v. Rutherford
442 U.S. 544 · Decided June 18, 1979 · 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
United States v. Rutherford was decided on June 18, 1979 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Thurgood Marshall 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
- 442 U.S. 544 · 99 S. Ct. 2470 · 61 L. Ed. 2d 68 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 114
- Docket number
- 78-605
- Decided
- June 18, 1979
- Argued
- April 25, 1979
- 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
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Consumer protection
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic 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 Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
United States et al. v. Rutherford et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-127, docket 1978-127-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Consumer protection”
- Ford Motor Credit Co. v. Milhollin
- Ford Motor Credit Co. v. Cenance
- Anderson Bros. Ford v. Valencia
- American Express Co. v. Koerner
- United States v. Generix Drug Corp.
- United States v. Park
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
- Young v. Community Nutrition Institute
- Abbott Laboratories v. Gardner
- Toilet Goods Association, Inc. v. Gardner
- Gardner v. Toilet Goods Association, Inc.
- Medtronic, Inc. v. Lora Lohr et Vir
- Flemming v. Florida Citrus Exchange
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System v. First Lincolnwood Corp.
- Marquette National Bank of Minneapolis v. First of Omaha Service Corp.
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission v. Pennzoil Producing Co.
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters v. Daniel
- Director v. Rasmussen
- Butner v. United States
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