George S. Bennett v. Arkansas
485 U.S. 395 · Decided March 29, 1988 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
George S. Bennett v. Arkansas was decided on March 29, 1988 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “National supremacy, miscellaneous” in the Federalism area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 485 U.S. 395 · 108 S. Ct. 1204 · 99 L. Ed. 2d 455 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 1555
- Docket number
- 86-6124
- Decided
- March 29, 1988
- Argued
- March 2, 1988
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- National supremacy, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Article VI, Section 2 (supremacy clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
George S. Bennett v. Arkansas
SCDB identifiers: case 1987-057, docket 1987-057-01.
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Other cases on “National supremacy, miscellaneous”
- South Dakota v. Dole
- Rose v. Arkansas State PoliceLaw held unconstitutional
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- Atascadero State Hospital v. Scanlon
- Lawrence County v. Lead-Deadwood School District No. 40-1Law held unconstitutional
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Cases on the same legal provision: Article VI, Section 2 (supremacy clause)
- Rose v. Rose
- Bonito Boats, Inc. v. Thunder Craft Boats, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Northwest Central Pipeline Corp. v. State Corporation Commission of Kansas
- Washington v. United States
- Toll v. Moreno
- Blum v. BaconLaw held unconstitutional
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- United States of America v. State of Louisiana
- Eric J. Schneidewind v. Anr Pipeline Company and Anr Storage Company
- Puerto Rico Department of Consumer Affairs v. Isla Petroleum Corporation
- South Carolina v. BakerAltered precedent
- City of New York v. Federal Communications Commission
- Lingle v. Norge Division of Magic Chef, Inc.
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