General Motors Corp. v. District of Columbia
380 U.S. 553 · Decided April 27, 1965 · 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
General Motors Corp. v. District of Columbia was decided on April 27, 1965 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “State or local government tax” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 380 U.S. 553 · 85 S. Ct. 1156 · 14 L. Ed. 2d 68 · 1965 U.S. LEXIS 1349
- Docket number
- 352
- Decided
- April 27, 1965
- Argued
- March 10, 1965
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- State or local government tax
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- District of Columbia statutes
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
General Motors Corp. v. District of Columbia
SCDB identifiers: case 1964-083, docket 1964-083-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “State or local government tax”
- American Oil Co. v. NeillLaw held unconstitutional
- Reserve Life Insurance Co. v. BowersLaw held unconstitutional
- General Motors Corp. v. Washington
- Halliburton Oil Well Cementing Co. v. ReilyLaw held unconstitutional
- National Bellas Hess, Inc. v. Department of Revenue of the State of IllinoisLaw held unconstitutional
- State Tax Commission of Utah v. Pacific States Cast Iron Pipe Co.
Cases on the same legal provision: District of Columbia statutes
- Lynch v. Overholser
- District of Columbia v. John R. Thompson Co., Inc.
- District of Columbia v. Little
- Graham v. Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen & Enginemen
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Brulotte v. Thys Co.
- Gillespie v. United States Steel Corp.
- King v. United States
- California v. Lo-Vaca Gathering Co.
- City of El Paso v. Simmons
- Securities and Exchange Commission v. American Trailer Rentals Co.
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