Minnesota v. Clover Leaf Creamery Co. et al.

Decided January 21, 1981. William Joseph Brennan Jr. delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 79-1171 · 449 U.S. 456 (1981) · Cited 1,109 times

We don’t yet publish a summary of this opinion — read the official text below for the Court’s holding and reasoning.

How the Justices voted

Decided 7–1.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.

Precedents cited

Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.

• Ferguson v. Skrupa · 372 U.S. 726 (1963)
• City of New Orleans v. Dukes · 427 U.S. 297 (1976)
• Vance v. Bradley · 440 U.S. 93 (1979)
• United States v. Carolene Products Co. · 304 U.S. 144 (1938)
• City of Philadelphia v. New Jersey · 437 U.S. 617 (1978)
• Lehnhausen v. Lake Shore Auto Parts Co. · 410 U.S. 356 (1973)
• Exxon Corp. v. Governor of Maryland · 437 U.S. 117 (1978)
• Richardson v. Ramirez · 418 U.S. 24 (1974)
• Day-Brite Lighting, Inc. v. Missouri · 342 U.S. 421 (1952)
• New York City Transit Authority v. Beazer · 440 U.S. 568 (1979)
• Hunt v. Washington State Apple Advertising Commission · 432 U.S. 333 (1977)
• Williamson v. Lee Optical of Oklahoma, Inc. · 348 U.S. 483 (1955)
• Pike v. Bruce Church, Inc. · 397 U.S. 137 (1970)
• Sweezy v. New Hampshire Ex Rel. Wyman · 354 U.S. 234 (1957)
• Railway Express Agency, Inc. v. New York · 336 U.S. 106 (1949)
• South Carolina State Highway Department v. Barnwell Bros. · 303 U.S. 177 (1938)
• Kingsley International Pictures Corp. v. Regents of the University · 360 U.S. 684 (1959)
• Groppi v. Wisconsin · 400 U.S. 505 (1971)
• United States v. Maryland Savings-Share Ins. Corp. · 400 U.S. 4 (1970)
• Bayside Fish Flour Co. v. Gentry · 297 U.S. 422 (1936)
• Mullaney v. Wilbur · 421 U.S. 684 (1975)
• North Carolina v. Butler · 441 U.S. 369 (1979)
• A. L. A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States · 295 U.S. 495 (1935)
• Oregon v. Hass · 420 U.S. 714 (1975)
• Panama Refining Co. v. Ryan · 293 U.S. 388 (1935)
• Weinberger v. Wiesenfeld · 420 U.S. 636 (1975)
• Wardius v. Oregon · 412 U.S. 470 (1973)
• Memorial Hospital v. Maricopa County · 415 U.S. 250 (1974)
• Hughes v. Oklahoma · 441 U.S. 322 (1979)
• Katzenbach v. Morgan · 384 U.S. 641 (1966)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• Western & Southern Life Ins. Co. v. State Bd. of Equalization of Cal. · 451 U.S. 648 (1981)
• Nollan v. California Coastal Commission · 483 U.S. 825 (1987)
• Department of Revenue of Kentucky v. Davis · 553 U.S. 328 (2008)
• United Haulers Ass'n v. Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Management Authority · 550 U.S. 330 (2007)
• Kassel v. Consolidated Freightways Corp. of Del. · 450 U.S. 662 (1981)
• Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. v. Arkansas Public Service Commission · 461 U.S. 375 (1983)
• Comptroller of Treasury of Md. v. Wynne · 575 U.S. 542 (2015)
• Clements v. Fashing · 457 U.S. 957 (1982)
• West Lynn Creamery, Inc. v. Healy · 512 U.S. 186 (1994)
• Northwest Central Pipeline Corp. v. State Corporation Comm'n of Kan. · 489 U.S. 493 (1989)
• National Pork Producers Council v. Ross · 598 U.S. 356 (2023)
• Batson v. Kentucky · 476 U.S. 79 (1986)
• City of Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Center, Inc. · 473 U.S. 432 (1985)
• Federal Communications Commission v. Beach Communications, Inc. · 508 U.S. 307 (1993)
• Heller v. Doe Ex Rel. Doe · 509 U.S. 312 (1993)
• Ohio v. Robinette · 519 U.S. 33 (1996)
• Nordlinger v. Hahn · 505 U.S. 1 (1992)
• City of Revere v. Massachusetts General Hospital · 463 U.S. 239 (1983)
• Hawaii Housing Authority v. Midkiff · 467 U.S. 229 (1984)
• Massachusetts v. Upton · 466 U.S. 727 (1984)
• Northwest Airlines, Inc. v. Transport Workers Union · 451 U.S. 77 (1981)
• Ponte v. Real · 471 U.S. 491 (1985)
• Maine v. Taylor · 477 U.S. 131 (1986)
• Preseault v. Interstate Commerce Commission · 494 U.S. 1 (1990)
• Bacchus Imports, Ltd. v. Dias · 468 U.S. 263 (1984)
• C & a Carbone, Inc. v. Town of Clarkstown · 511 U.S. 383 (1994)
• Landreth Timber Co. v. Landreth · 471 U.S. 681 (1985)
• Minneapolis Star & Tribune Co. v. Minnesota Commissioner of Revenue · 460 U.S. 575 (1983)
• CTS Corp. v. Dynamics Corp. of America · 481 U.S. 69 (1987)
• Zobel v. Williams · 457 U.S. 55 (1982)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

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Source: the U.S. Reports via govinfo.gov; authoring Justice and vote lineup from the Supreme Court Database (Washington University). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).