Arkansas Best Corporation v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
485 U.S. 212 · Decided March 7, 1988 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Arkansas Best Corporation v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue was decided on March 7, 1988 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal taxation (Internal Revenue Code)” in the Federal Taxation area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 485 U.S. 212 · 108 S. Ct. 971 · 99 L. Ed. 2d 183 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 1150
- Docket number
- 86-751
- Decided
- March 7, 1988
- Argued
- December 9, 1987
- 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
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal taxation (Internal Revenue Code)
- Issue area
- Federal Taxation
- Legal provision
- Internal Revenue Code
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal 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 |
Did not participate: Anthony M. Kennedy.
Full case caption
Arkansas Best Corporation v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
SCDB identifiers: case 1987-045, docket 1987-045-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal taxation (Internal Revenue Code)”
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- United States v. Wells Fargo Bank
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- Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Asphalt Products Co., Inc.
- United States v. General Dynamics Corp.
- Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Groetzinger
Cases on the same legal provision: Internal Revenue Code
- South Carolina v. BakerAltered precedent
- Church of Scientology of California v. Internal Revenue Service
- Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. McCoy
- Jersey Shore State Bank v. United States
- Hernandez v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
- United States v. Hemme
Same Term, same area (Federal Taxation)
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