Kenneth Cory v. Western Oil and Gas Association
471 U.S. 81 · Decided March 27, 1985 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Kenneth Cory v. Western Oil and Gas Association was decided on March 27, 1985 by a vote of 4–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The Justices were equally divided, which leaves the lower court's judgment in place without setting precedent. SCDB classifies its main issue as “State or local government tax” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 471 U.S. 81 · 105 S. Ct. 1859 · 85 L. Ed. 2d 61 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 192
- Docket number
- 84-16
- Decided
- March 27, 1985
- Argued
- February 26, 1985
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Equally divided vote
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 4–4
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- State or local government tax
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- State or local law or regulation
- Type of law
- State or local law or regulation
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Equally divided vote | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Equally divided vote |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..
Full case caption
Kenneth Cory, Leo T. McCarthy and Jesse R. Huff v. Western Oil and Gas Association et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-068, docket 1984-068-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “State or local government tax”
- Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. v. WardLaw held unconstitutional
- First National Bank of Atlanta v. Bartow County Board of Tax Assessors
- Williams v. VermontLaw held unconstitutional
- Bacchus Imports, Ltd. v. DiasLaw held unconstitutional
- Armco Inc. v. HardestyLaw held unconstitutional
- Westinghouse Electric Corp. v. TullyLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Mills Music, Inc. v. Snyder
- Park 'n Fly, Inc. v. Dollar Park and Fly, Inc.
- Ohio v. Kovacs
- Chemical Manufacturers Association v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
- Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. v. Byrd
- Air France v. Saks
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