Burlington Northern Railroad Co. v. Oklahoma Tax Commission
481 U.S. 454 · Decided April 28, 1987 · 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
Burlington Northern Railroad Co. v. Oklahoma Tax Commission was decided on April 28, 1987 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall 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
- 481 U.S. 454 · 107 S. Ct. 1855 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 404 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 1927
- Docket number
- 86-337
- Decided
- April 28, 1987
- Argued
- March 25, 1987
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- State or local government tax
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 49 U.S.C. § 1150
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
Burlington Northern Railroad Co. v. Oklahoma Tax Commission et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-086, docket 1986-086-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “State or local government tax”
- Arkansas Writers' Project, Inc. v. RaglandLaw held unconstitutional
- Rockford Life Insurance Co. v. Illinois Department of Revenue
- Tyler Pipe Industries, Inc. v. Washington State Department of RevenueAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- American Trucking Associations, Inc. v. ScheinerLaw held unconstitutional
- Western Air Lines, Inc. v. Board of Equalization of the State of South Dakota
- R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. v. Durham County
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Kelly v. Robinson
- Cargill, Inc. v. Monfort of Colorado, Inc.
- R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. v. Durham County
- 324 Liquor Corp. v. Duffy
- Clarke v. Securities Industry Association
- Jersey Shore State Bank 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