United States v. Topco Associates, Inc.
405 U.S. 596 · Decided March 29, 1972 · 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. Topco Associates, Inc. was decided on March 29, 1972 by a vote of 6–1. 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 “Antitrust” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 405 U.S. 596 · 92 S. Ct. 1126 · 31 L. Ed. 2d 515 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 167
- Docket number
- 70-82
- Decided
- March 29, 1972
- Argued
- November 16, 1971
- 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
- 6–1
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Antitrust
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Sherman Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| 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 | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr., William H. Rehnquist.
Full case caption
United States v. Topco Associates, Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-085, docket 1971-085-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Antitrust”
- Federal Trade Commission v. Sperry & Hutchinson Co.
- Hawaii v. Standard Oil Co. of California
- United States v. Standard Oil Co. of California
- United States v. Chas. Pfizer & Co., Inc.
- California Motor Transport Co. v. Trucking Unlimited
- Flood v. Kuhn
Cases on the same legal provision: Sherman Act
- Zenith Radio Corp. v. Hazeltine Research, Inc.
- United Mine Workers of America v. Pennington
- Local Union No. 189 v. Jewel Tea Co., Inc.
- United States v. First National Bank & Trust Co. of Lexington
- Los Angeles Meat & Provision Drivers Union v. United States
- Rice v. Norman Williams Co.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Superintendent of Insurance of New York v. Bankers Life & Casualty Co.
- McClanahan v. Morauer & Hartzell, Inc.
- Norfolk & Western Railroad Co. v. Nemitz
- Chevron Oil Co. v. Huson
- Victory Carriers, Inc. v. Law
- O'Keeffe v. Aerojet-General Shipyards, Inc.
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