Southern Motor Carriers Rate Conference, Inc. v. United States
471 U.S. 48 · Decided March 27, 1985 · 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
Southern Motor Carriers Rate Conference, Inc. v. United States was decided on March 27, 1985 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Antitrust” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 471 U.S. 48 · 105 S. Ct. 1721 · 85 L. Ed. 2d 36 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 196
- Docket number
- 82-1922
- Decided
- March 27, 1985
- Argued
- November 26, 1984
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Antitrust
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Sherman Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Southern Motor Carriers Rate Conference, Inc., et al. v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-067, docket 1984-067-01.
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Other cases on “Antitrust”
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Cases on the same legal provision: Sherman Act
- Rice v. Norman Williams Co.
- Federal Trade Commission v. Superior Court Trial Lawyers Association
- Zenith Radio Corp. v. Hazeltine Research, Inc.
- United Mine Workers of America v. Pennington
- Local Union No. 189 v. Jewel Tea Co., Inc.
- United States v. First National Bank & Trust Co. of Lexington
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Mills Music, Inc. v. Snyder
- Park 'n Fly, Inc. v. Dollar Park and Fly, Inc.
- Ohio v. Kovacs
- Chemical Manufacturers Association v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
- Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. v. Byrd
- Air France v. Saks
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