Shell Oil Company v. Iowa Department of Revenue
488 U.S. 19 · Decided November 8, 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
Shell Oil Company v. Iowa Department of Revenue was decided on November 8, 1988 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 “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 488 U.S. 19 · 109 S. Ct. 278 · 102 L. Ed. 2d 186 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 5056
- Docket number
- 87-984
- Decided
- November 8, 1988
- Argued
- October 4, 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 area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 43 U.S.C. § 1331
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| 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
Shell Oil Company v. Iowa Department of Revenue
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-004, docket 1988-004-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- Bonito Boats, Inc. v. Thunder Craft Boats, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Volt Information Sciences, Inc. v. Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University
- Felder v. Casey
- Mackey v. Lanier Collection Agency & Service, Inc.
- California v. Arc America Corp.
- City of New York v. Federal Communications Commission
Cases on the same legal provision: 43 U.S.C. § 1331
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Bonito Boats, Inc. v. Thunder Craft Boats, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Volt Information Sciences, Inc. v. Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University
- Davis v. Michigan Department of the TreasuryLaw held unconstitutional
- Oklahoma Tax Commission v. Graham
- California v. Arc America Corp.
- Mansell v. Mansell
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