United States v. Sullivan
332 U.S. 689 · Decided January 19, 1948 · 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. Sullivan was decided on January 19, 1948 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Hugo L. Black 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
- 332 U.S. 689 · 68 S. Ct. 331 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 297 · 1948 U.S. LEXIS 2617
- Docket number
- 121
- Decided
- January 19, 1948
- Argued
- December 9, 1947
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Consumer protection
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 3 (interstate commerce clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Dissent | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Dissent | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Sullivan, Trading as Sullivan's Pharmacy
SCDB identifiers: case 1947-026, docket 1947-026-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Consumer protection”
- Woods v. Stone
- United States v. Walsh
- Kordel v. United States
- United States v. Urbuteit
- United States v. Ruzicka
- Reilly v. Pinkus
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 3 (interstate commerce clause)
- Bob-Lo Excursion Co. v. Michigan
- Aero Mayflower Transit Co. v. Board of Railroad Commissioners of Montana
- Toomer v. WitsellLaw held unconstitutional
- Central Greyhound Lines, Inc. v. MealeyLaw held unconstitutional
- Memphis Natural Gas Co. v. Stone
- Joseph v. Carter & Weekes Stevedoring Co.Law held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Federal Crop Insurance Corp. v. Merrill
- International Salt Co., Inc. v. United States
- Priebe & Sons, Inc. v. United States
- Lillie v. Thompson
- Aero Mayflower Transit Co. v. Board of Railroad Commissioners of Montana
- Callen v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
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