General Drivers v. American Tobacco Co., Inc.
348 U.S. 978 · Decided April 4, 1955 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
General Drivers v. American Tobacco Co., Inc. was decided on April 4, 1955 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 348 U.S. 978 · 75 S. Ct. 569 · 99 L. Ed. 2d 762 · 1955 U.S. LEXIS 978
- Docket number
- 186
- Decided
- April 4, 1955
- Argued
- March 31, 1955
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority |
Full case caption
General Drivers, Warehousemen, and Helpers, Local Union No. 89, et al. v. American Tobacco Co., Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 1954-063, docket 1954-063-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction”
- Weber v. Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
- Local Union No. 25 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters v. New York
- United Construction Workers v. Laburnum Construction Corp.
- Capital Service, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board
- United Mine Workers of America v. Arkansas Oak Flooring Co.
- United Automobile v. Wisconsin Employment Relations Board
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Castle v. Hayes Freight Lines, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Weber v. Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
- Carroll v. LanzaAltered precedent
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