Wardair Canada Inc. v. Florida Department of Revenue
477 U.S. 1 · Decided June 18, 1986 · 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
Wardair Canada Inc. v. Florida Department of Revenue was decided on June 18, 1986 by a vote of 8–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. 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
- 477 U.S. 1 · 106 S. Ct. 2369 · 91 L. Ed. 2d 1 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 105
- Docket number
- 84-902
- Decided
- June 18, 1986
- Argued
- March 31, 1986
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 49 U.S.C. § 1301
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Wardair Canada Inc. v. Florida Department of Revenue
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-115, docket 1985-115-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- Nantahala Power & Light Co. v. Thornburg
- Baker v. General Motors Corp.
- Louisiana Public Service Commission v. Federal Communications Commission
- Public Service Commission of Maryland v. Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company of Maryland
- Golden State Transit Corp. v. City of Los Angeles
- Exxon Corp. v. Hunt
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corp. v. State Oil and Gas Board of Mississippi
- United States v. Maine
- Wisconsin Department of Industry v. Gould Inc.
- Exxon Corp. v. Hunt
- Golden State Transit Corp. v. City of Los Angeles
- Louisiana Public Service Commission v. Federal Communications Commission
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