Arkansas Writers' Project, Inc. v. Ragland

481 U.S. 221 · Decided April 22, 1987 · Supreme Court of the United States

At a glance

Arkansas Writers' Project, Inc. v. Ragland was decided on April 22, 1987 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “State or local government tax” in the Economic Activity area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.

Read the opinion

• CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
• Library of Congress — official U.S. Reports scan

Case details

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

Arkansas Writers' Project, Inc. v. Ragland, Commissioner of Revenue of Arkansas

SCDB identifiers: case 1986-075, docket 1986-075-01.

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Other cases on “State or local government tax”

• Burlington Northern Railroad Co. v. Oklahoma Tax Commission
  481 U.S. 454Decided April 28, 19879–0Thurgood Marshall
• Rockford Life Insurance Co. v. Illinois Department of Revenue
  482 U.S. 182Decided June 8, 19879–0John Paul Stevens
• Western Air Lines, Inc. v. Board of Equalization of the State of South Dakota
  480 U.S. 123Decided February 24, 19879–0Sandra Day O'Connor
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  479 U.S. 130Decided December 9, 19869–0Harry A. Blackmun

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Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)

• Pope v. Illinois
  481 U.S. 497Decided May 4, 19875–4Byron R. White
• Turner v. Safley
  482 U.S. 78Decided June 1, 19875–4Sandra Day O'Connor
• City of Houston v. HillLaw held unconstitutional
  482 U.S. 451Decided June 15, 19878–1William J. Brennan Jr.
• Board of Airport Commissioners of the City of Los Angeles v. Jews for Jesus, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
  482 U.S. 569Decided June 15, 19879–0Sandra Day O'Connor
• Rankin v. McPherson
  483 U.S. 378Decided June 24, 19875–4Thurgood Marshall
• Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier
  484 U.S. 260Decided January 13, 19885–3Byron R. White

Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)

• Kelly v. Robinson
  479 U.S. 36Decided November 12, 19867–2Lewis F. Powell Jr.
• Cargill, Inc. v. Monfort of Colorado, Inc.
  479 U.S. 104Decided December 9, 19866–2William J. Brennan Jr.
• R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. v. Durham County
  479 U.S. 130Decided December 9, 19869–0Harry A. Blackmun
• 324 Liquor Corp. v. Duffy
  479 U.S. 335Decided January 13, 19877–2Lewis F. Powell Jr.
• Clarke v. Securities Industry Association
  479 U.S. 388Decided January 14, 19878–0Byron R. White
• Jersey Shore State Bank v. United States
  479 U.S. 442Decided January 20, 19879–0William H. Rehnquist

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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