United States v. City of Detroit
355 U.S. 466 · Decided March 3, 1958 · 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
United States v. City of Detroit was decided on March 3, 1958 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “State or local government tax” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 355 U.S. 466 · 78 S. Ct. 474 · 2 L. Ed. 2d 424 · 1958 U.S. LEXIS 1420
- Docket number
- 26
- Decided
- March 3, 1958
- Argued
- November 14, 1957
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- State or local government tax
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Article VI, Section 2 (supremacy clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
United States et al. v. City of Detroit
SCDB identifiers: case 1957-050, docket 1957-050-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “State or local government tax”
- United States v. Township of Muskegon
- City of Detroit v. Murray Corporation of America
- American Motors Corp. v. City of Kenosha
- West Point Wholesale Grocery Co. v. City of OpelikaLaw held unconstitutional
- Territory of Alaska v. American Can Co.
- Northwestern States Portland Cement Co. v. Minnesota
Cases on the same legal provision: Article VI, Section 2 (supremacy clause)
- Public Utilities Commission of California v. United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
- City of Chicago v. AtchisonLaw held unconstitutional
- Rogers v. Calumet National Bank of Hammond
- Federal Land Bank of Wichita v. Board of County Commissioners of Kiowa CountyLaw held unconstitutional
- Franklin National Bank of Franklin Square v. New York
- Kesler v. Department of Public Safety of Utah
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Gibson v. Thompson
- Palermo v. Luckenbach Steamship Co., Inc.
- Black v. Magnolia Liquor Co., Inc.
- Stinson v. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Co.
- Schaffer Transportation Co. v. United States
- American Trucking Associations, Inc. v. United States
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