Goldberg v. Sweet
488 U.S. 252 · Decided January 10, 1989 · 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
Goldberg v. Sweet was decided on January 10, 1989 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed 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
- 488 U.S. 252 · 109 S. Ct. 582 · 102 L. Ed. 2d 607 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 308
- Docket number
- 87-826
- Decided
- January 10, 1989
- Argued
- October 12, 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
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- 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
- 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 | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Goldberg et al. v. Sweet, Director, Illinois Department of Revenue, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-017, docket 1988-017-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “State or local government tax”
- Allegheny Pittsburgh Coal Co. v. County Commission of Webster CountyLaw held unconstitutional
- Amerada Hess Corp. v. Director
- New Energy Company of Indiana v. LimbachLaw held unconstitutional
- D. H. Holmes Co., Ltd. v. McNamara
- McKesson Corporation v. Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco
- American Trucking Associations, Inc. v. Maurice Smith
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 3 (interstate commerce clause)
- Healy v. the Beer InstituteAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Bendix Autolite Corp. v. Midwesco Enterprises, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- CTS Corp. v. Dynamics Corporation of America
- Maine v. Taylor
- Brown-Forman Distillers Corp. v. New York State Liquor AuthorityLaw held unconstitutional
- State of Wyoming v. State of OklahomaLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Allegheny Pittsburgh Coal Co. v. County Commission of Webster CountyLaw held unconstitutional
- Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. v. Bruch
- Northwest Central Pipeline Corp. v. State Corporation Commission of Kansas
- Amerada Hess Corp. v. Director
- Massachusetts v. Morash
- Chan v. Korean Air Lines, Ltd.
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