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Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Standard Life & Accident Insurance Co.

433 U.S. 148 · Decided June 23, 1977 · 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

Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Standard Life & Accident Insurance Co. was decided on June 23, 1977 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John Paul Stevens 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
433 U.S. 148 · 97 S. Ct. 2523 · 53 L. Ed. 2d 653 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 137
Docket number
75-1771
Decided
June 23, 1977
Argued
March 30, 1977
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed and remanded
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
8–0 (unanimous)
Majority opinion
John Paul Stevens
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Legal provision
26 U.S.C. § 801
Type of law
Infrequently litigated statute
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.Majority
Justice Byron R. WhiteSpecial concurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Thurgood MarshallMajority
Chief Justice Warren E. BurgerSpecial concurrence
Justice Harry A. BlackmunMajority
Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr.Majority
Justice William H. RehnquistMajority
Justice John Paul StevensMajorityWrote an opinion

Did not participate: Potter Stewart.

Full case caption

Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Standard Life & Accident Insurance Co.

SCDB identifiers: case 1976-164, docket 1976-164-01.

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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