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Lehnhausen v. Lake Shore Auto Parts Co.

410 U.S. 356 · Decided February 22, 1973 · 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

Lehnhausen v. Lake Shore Auto Parts Co. was decided on February 22, 1973 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “State or local government tax” in the Economic Activity area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
410 U.S. 356 · 93 S. Ct. 1001 · 35 L. Ed. 2d 351 · 1973 U.S. LEXIS 135
Docket number
71-685
Decided
February 22, 1973
Argued
January 15, 1973
Court era
Burger 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
William O. Douglas
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Legal provision
Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Altered precedent
Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

Lehnhausen, Director, Department of Local Government Affairs of Illinois v. Lake Shore Auto Parts Co. et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1972-056, docket 1972-056-01.

Other cases on “State or local government tax”

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Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)

Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)

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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