City of Chicago v. Willett Company
344 U.S. 574 · Decided February 9, 1953 · 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
City of Chicago v. Willett Company was decided on February 9, 1953 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “State or local government tax” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 344 U.S. 574 · 73 S. Ct. 460 · 97 L. Ed. 2d 559 · 1953 U.S. LEXIS 2393
- Docket number
- 23
- Decided
- February 9, 1953
- Argued
- October 17, 1952
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Felix Frankfurter
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- State or local government tax
- 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 | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Full case caption
City of Chicago v. Willett Company
SCDB identifiers: case 1952-045, docket 1952-045-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “State or local government tax”
- Bode v. Barrett
- Dameron v. Brodhead
- Memphis Steam Laundry Cleaner, Inc. v. StoneLaw held unconstitutional
- Mullaney v. AndersonLaw held unconstitutional
- Kern-Limerick, Inc. v. ScurlockLaw held unconstitutional
- Michigan-Wisconsin Pipe Line Co. v. CalvertLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 3 (interstate commerce clause)
- Lloyd A. Fry Roofing Co. v. Wood
- Breard v. Alexandria
- Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Co. v. Michigan Public Service Commission
- Dean Milk Co. v. City of MadisonLaw held unconstitutional
- Collins v. American Buslines, Inc.
- California v. Zook
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Sanford v. Kepner
- Lloyd A. Fry Roofing Co. v. Wood
- F. W. Woolworth Co. v. Contemporary Arts, Inc.
- Steele v. Bulova Watch Co., Inc.
- American Trucking Associations, Inc. v. United States
- Pennsylvania Railroad Co. v. O'Rourke
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