Puerto Rico Department of Consumer Affairs v. Isla Petroleum Corporation
485 U.S. 495 · Decided April 19, 1988 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Puerto Rico Department of Consumer Affairs v. Isla Petroleum Corporation was decided on April 19, 1988 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Antonin Scalia 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
- 485 U.S. 495 · 108 S. Ct. 1350 · 99 L. Ed. 2d 582 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 1869
- Docket number
- 86-1406
- Decided
- April 19, 1988
- Argued
- February 29, 1988
- 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
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 15 U.S.C. § 751
- 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 | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Did not participate: Sandra Day O'Connor.
Full case caption
Puerto Rico Department of Consumer Affairs, et al. v. Isla Petroleum Corporation et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1987-063, docket 1987-063-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- City of New York v. Federal Communications Commission
- Eric J. Schneidewind v. Anr Pipeline Company and Anr Storage Company
- Mackey v. Lanier Collection Agency & Service, Inc.
- Felder v. Casey
- 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
- South Carolina v. BakerAltered precedent
- City of New York v. Federal Communications Commission
- 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