CTS Corp. v. Dynamics Corporation of America
481 U.S. 69 · Decided April 21, 1987 · 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
CTS Corp. v. Dynamics Corporation of America was decided on April 21, 1987 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “State or local business regulation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 481 U.S. 69 · 107 S. Ct. 1637 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 67 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 1811
- Docket number
- 86-71
- Decided
- April 21, 1987
- Argued
- March 2, 1987
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- State or local business regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 3 (interstate commerce clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- 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 | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
CTS Corp. v. Dynamics Corporation of America
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-069, docket 1986-069-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “State or local business regulation”
- Maine v. Taylor
- Brown-Forman Distillers Corp. v. New York State Liquor AuthorityLaw held unconstitutional
- Northwest Central Pipeline Corp. v. State Corporation Commission of Kansas
- Healy v. the Beer InstituteAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- White v. Massachusetts Council of Construction Employers, Inc.
- Energy Reserves Group, Inc. v. Kansas Power & Light Co.
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 3 (interstate commerce clause)
- Tyler Pipe Industries, Inc. v. Washington State Department of RevenueAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- American Trucking Associations, Inc. v. ScheinerLaw held unconstitutional
- D. H. Holmes Co., Ltd. v. McNamara
- New Energy Company of Indiana v. LimbachLaw held unconstitutional
- Bendix Autolite Corp. v. Midwesco Enterprises, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Goldberg v. Sweet
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Kelly v. Robinson
- Cargill, Inc. v. Monfort of Colorado, Inc.
- R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. v. Durham County
- 324 Liquor Corp. v. Duffy
- Clarke v. Securities Industry Association
- Jersey Shore State Bank v. United States
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