West Point Wholesale Grocery Co. v. City of Opelika
354 U.S. 390 · Decided June 17, 1957 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
West Point Wholesale Grocery Co. v. City of Opelika was decided on June 17, 1957 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John M. Harlan II wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “State or local government tax” in the Economic Activity area. SCDB records that the Court declared a municipal or other local ordinance unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 354 U.S. 390 · 77 S. Ct. 1096 · 1 L. Ed. 2d 1420 · 1957 U.S. LEXIS 659
- Docket number
- 478
- Decided
- June 17, 1957
- Argued
- April 24, 1957
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- John M. Harlan II
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- State or local government tax
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 3 (interstate commerce clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Held unconstitutional
- A municipal or other local ordinance
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority |
Full case caption
West Point Wholesale Grocery Co. v. City of Opelika, Alabama
SCDB identifiers: case 1956-122, docket 1956-122-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “State or local government tax”
- United States v. City of Detroit
- United States v. Township of Muskegon
- City of Detroit v. Murray Corporation of America
- American Motors Corp. v. City of Kenosha
- Offutt Housing Co. v. County of Sarpy
- International Harvester Credit Corp. v. Goodrich
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 3 (interstate commerce clause)
- Collins v. American Buslines, Inc.
- Bibb v. Navajo Freight Lines, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Huron Portland Cement Co. v. City of Detroit
- Eli Lilly & Co. v. Sav-On-Drugs, Inc.
- Lloyd A. Fry Roofing Co. v. Wood
- Colorado Anti-Discrimination Commission v. Continental Air Lines, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Thompson v. Coastal Oil Co.
- Holophane Co., Inc. v. United States.
- United States v. Bergh
- Massachusetts Bonding & Insurance Co. v. United States
- United States v. Interstate Commerce Commission
- United States v. Howard
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