Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America v. Peter E. Walsh
538 U.S. 644 · Decided May 19, 2003 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America v. Peter E. Walsh was decided on May 19, 2003 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. 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
- 538 U.S. 644 · 123 S. Ct. 1855 · 155 L. Ed. 2d 889 · 2003 U.S. LEXIS 4056
- Docket number
- 01-188
- Decided
- May 19, 2003
- Argued
- January 22, 2003
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- State or local business regulation
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America v. Peter E. Walsh, Acting Commissioner, Maine Department of Human Services, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2002-052, docket 2002-052-01.
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Other cases on “State or local business regulation”
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Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 3 (interstate commerce clause)
- South Central Bell Telephone Company v. AlabamaLaw held unconstitutional
- Meadwestvaco Corporation v. Illinois Department of Revenue
- Department of Revenue of Kentucky v. George W. Davis
- Camps Newfound/owatonna, Inc. v. Town of HarrisonLaw held unconstitutional
- General Motors Corporation v. Roger W. Tracy
- Fulton Corporation v. Janice H. FaulknerAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
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