Hillside Dairy Inc. v. William J. Lyons, Jr.
539 U.S. 59 · Decided June 9, 2003 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Hillside Dairy Inc. v. William J. Lyons, Jr. was decided on June 9, 2003 by a vote of 8–1. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John Paul Stevens 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
- 539 U.S. 59 · 123 S. Ct. 2142 · 156 L. Ed. 2d 54 · 2003 U.S. LEXIS 4423
- Docket number
- 01-950
- Decided
- June 9, 2003
- Argued
- April 22, 2003
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- State or local business regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 7 U.S.C. § 7254
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Hillside Dairy Inc., A&a Dairy, L&s Dairy, and Milky Way Farms v. William J. Lyons, Jr., Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2002-066, docket 2002-066-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “State or local business regulation”
- Michael Fitzgerald v. Racing Association of Central Iowa
- Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America v. Peter E. Walsh
- Yellow Transportation, Inc. v. Michigan
- Jennifer M. Granholm v. Eleanor HealdLaw held unconstitutional
- American Trucking Associations, Inc. and Usf Holland, Inc. v. Michigan Public Service Commission
- United Haulers Association, Inc. v. Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Management Authority
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Yellow Transportation, Inc. v. Michigan
- Karen Howsam, Etc. v. Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc.
- Borden Ranch Partnership and Angelo K. Tsakopoulos v. United States Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency
- Pierce County v. Ignacio Guillen
- Eric Eldred v. John D. Ashcroft
- Federal Communications Commission v. Nextwave Personal Communications 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