General Motors Corp. v. Washington
377 U.S. 436 · Decided June 8, 1964 · 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. Washington was decided on June 8, 1964 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Tom C. Clark 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
- 377 U.S. 436 · 84 S. Ct. 1564 · 12 L. Ed. 2d 430 · 1964 U.S. LEXIS 1071
- Docket number
- 115
- Decided
- June 8, 1964
- Argued
- February 26, 1964
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- State or local government tax
- 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 Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
General Motors Corp. v. Washington et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1963-136, docket 1963-136-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “State or local government tax”
- Reserve Life Insurance Co. v. BowersLaw held unconstitutional
- American Oil Co. v. NeillLaw held unconstitutional
- General Motors Corp. v. District of Columbia
- Halliburton Oil Well Cementing Co. v. ReilyLaw held unconstitutional
- State Tax Commission of Utah v. Pacific States Cast Iron Pipe Co.
- State Board of Insurance v. Todd Shipyards Corp.
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 3 (interstate commerce clause)
- Polar Ice Cream & Creamery Co. v. AndrewsLaw held unconstitutional
- Head v. New Mexico Board of Examiners in Optometry
- Colorado Anti-Discrimination Commission v. Continental Air Lines, Inc.
- Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc. v. Hostetter
- Eli Lilly & Co. v. Sav-On-Drugs, Inc.
- Maryland v. Wirtz
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Tipton v. Socony Mobil Oil Co., Inc.
- Securities and Exchange Commission v. Capital Gains Research Bureau, Inc.
- Dennis v. Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Co.
- Eichel v. New York Central Railroad Co.
- Polar Ice Cream & Creamery Co. v. AndrewsLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Wiesenfeld Warehouse 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