McKesson Corporation v. Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco
496 U.S. 18 · Decided June 4, 1990 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
McKesson Corporation v. Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco was decided on June 4, 1990 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. 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
- 496 U.S. 18 · 110 S. Ct. 2238 · 110 L. Ed. 2d 17 · 1990 U.S. LEXIS 2826
- Docket number
- 88-192
- Decided
- June 4, 1990
- Argued
- March 22, 1989
- Reargued
- December 6, 1989
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- State or local government tax
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Eleventh Amendment
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| 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
McKesson Corporation v. Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, Department of Business Regulation of Florida, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1989-094, docket 1989-094-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “State or local government tax”
- American Trucking Associations, Inc. v. Maurice Smith
- Ashland Oil, Inc. v. Caryl
- National Mines Corp. v. Caryl
- Trinova Corporation v. Michigan Department of Treasury
- Ford Motor Credit Company, Inc. v. Department of Revenue
- Amerada Hess Corp. v. Director
Cases on the same legal provision: Eleventh Amendment
- Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corp. v. Feeney
- Edgar Blatchford v. Native Village of Noatak and Circle Village
- Welch v. Texas Department of Highways and Public TransportationAltered precedent
- Papasan v. Allain
- Albert Hess and Charles F. Walsh v. Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation
- Green v. Mansour
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Northbrook National Insurance Company v. Larry W. Brewer
- Olaf A. Hallstrom v. Tillamook County
- Michigan Citizens for an Independent Press v. Thornburgh
- Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company v. Nancy J. Schwalb and William McGlone
- Bob Reves v. Ernst & Young
- Lawrence H. Crandon 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