Sugar Institute, Inc. v. United States

297 U.S. 553 (1936)

From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Sugar Institute, Inc. v. United States

United States Supreme Court
297 U.S. 553 (1936)

Facts

In the sugar-refinement industry, sugar was traditionally purchased via a trade practice known as moves. Under this practice, a refiner would publicly announce that it would increase the selling price, to take effect at a specific time. A grace period followed, during which sugar could be bought at a lower price. But prior to this increase, multiple refiners would enter into secret concessions with each other on a lower price. To put an end to this, the refiner’s trade association, Sugar Institute, Inc. (defendant), implemented a rule mandating that all trade moves needed to be adhered to once announced—there could be no deviation from the announced price. The United States (plaintiff) brought a lawsuit against Sugar Institute seeking to enjoin it from enforcing this requirement on the ground that the requirement amounted to price-fixing. The district court granted the injunction and forbade Sugar Institute from mandating the refiners adhere to a previously announced price. Sugar Institute appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Hughes, C.J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 815,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership