Central Machinery Co. v. Arizona State Tax Commission
448 U.S. 160 · Decided June 27, 1980 · 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
Central Machinery Co. v. Arizona State Tax Commission was decided on June 27, 1980 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indians, state jurisdiction” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 448 U.S. 160 · 100 S. Ct. 2592 · 65 L. Ed. 2d 684 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 144
- Docket number
- 78-1604
- Decided
- June 27, 1980
- Argued
- January 14, 1980
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians, state jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent |
Full case caption
Central Machinery Co. v. Arizona State Tax Commission
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-144, docket 1979-144-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians, state jurisdiction”
- White Mountain Apache Tribe v. Bracker
- Washington v. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation
- United States v. Clarke
- Montana v. United States
- Washington v. Washington State Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel Association
- Wilson v. Omaha Indian Tribe
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Board of Education of the City School District of New York v. Harris
- Vance v. Terrazas
- Martinez v. California
- California Brewers Assn. v. Bryant
- United States v. Clark
- United States v. Clarke
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