City of El Paso v. Simmons
379 U.S. 497 · Decided January 18, 1965 · 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 El Paso v. Simmons was decided on January 18, 1965 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “State or local business regulation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 379 U.S. 497 · 85 S. Ct. 577 · 13 L. Ed. 2d 446 · 1965 U.S. LEXIS 2230
- Docket number
- 38
- Decided
- January 18, 1965
- Argued
- November 17, 1964
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- State or local business regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Article I, Section 10, Paragraph 1 (contract clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
City of El Paso v. Simmons
SCDB identifiers: case 1964-033, docket 1964-033-01.
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Other cases on “State or local business regulation”
- Hudson Distributors, Inc. v. Eli Lilly & Co.
- Clay v. Sun Insurance Office, Ltd.
- Polar Ice Cream & Creamery Co. v. AndrewsLaw held unconstitutional
- Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc. v. Hostetter
- Florida Lime & Avocado Growers, Inc. v. Paul
- Ferguson v. SkrupaAltered precedent
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 10, Paragraph 1 (contract clause)
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Brulotte v. Thys Co.
- Gillespie v. United States Steel Corp.
- King v. United States
- California v. Lo-Vaca Gathering Co.
- Securities and Exchange Commission v. American Trailer Rentals Co.
- Davis v. Baltimore & Ohio 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