City of New York v. Federal Communications Commission
486 U.S. 57 · Decided May 16, 1988 · 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
City of New York v. Federal Communications Commission was decided on May 16, 1988 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 486 U.S. 57 · 108 S. Ct. 1637 · 100 L. Ed. 2d 48 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 2102
- Docket number
- 87-339
- Decided
- May 16, 1988
- Argued
- March 29, 1988
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 47 U.S.C. § 521
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
City of New York et al. v. Federal Communications Commission et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1987-080, docket 1987-080-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- Puerto Rico Department of Consumer Affairs v. Isla Petroleum Corporation
- Mackey v. Lanier Collection Agency & Service, Inc.
- Felder v. Casey
- Eric J. Schneidewind v. Anr Pipeline Company and Anr Storage Company
- Shell Oil Company v. Iowa Department of Revenue
- Bonito Boats, Inc. v. Thunder Craft Boats, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- United States of America v. State of Louisiana
- Eric J. Schneidewind v. Anr Pipeline Company and Anr Storage Company
- George S. Bennett v. ArkansasLaw held unconstitutional
- Puerto Rico Department of Consumer Affairs v. Isla Petroleum Corporation
- South Carolina v. BakerAltered precedent
- Lingle v. Norge Division of Magic Chef, Inc.
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