Ralston Purina Co. v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co.
426 U.S. 476 · Decided June 14, 1976 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Ralston Purina Co. v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co. was decided on June 14, 1976 unanimously (8–0). 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 “Railroad regulation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 426 U.S. 476 · 96 S. Ct. 2160 · 48 L. Ed. 2d 781 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 135
- Docket number
- 75-1015
- Decided
- June 14, 1976
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Railroad regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..
Full case caption
Ralston Purina Co. et al. v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1975-127, docket 1975-127-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Railroad regulation”
- Interstate Commerce Commission v. Oregon Pacific Industries, Inc.
- National Railroad Passenger Corp. v. National Association of Railroad Passengers
- Atchison v. Wichita Board of Trade
- United States v. Allegheny-Ludlum Steel Corp.
- Norfolk & Western Railroad Co. v. Nemitz
- Southern Pacific Transportation Co. v. Commercial Metals Co.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Day & Zimmermann, Inc. v. Challoner
- Transamerican Freight Lines, Inc. v. Brada Miller Freight Systems, Inc.
- American Foreign Steamship Co. v. Matise
- Foremost-McKesson, Inc. v. Provident Securities Co.
- Michelin Tire Corp. v. WagesAltered precedent
- United States v. Bornstein
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