Maryland v. Louisiana
451 U.S. 725 · Decided May 26, 1981 · 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
Maryland v. Louisiana was decided on May 26, 1981 by a vote of 7–1. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “State or local government tax” in the Economic Activity area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 451 U.S. 725 · 101 S. Ct. 2114 · 68 L. Ed. 2d 576 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 27
- Docket number
- 83 ORIG
- Decided
- May 26, 1981
- Argued
- January 19, 1981
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–1
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Original jurisdiction
- 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
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..
Full case caption
Maryland et al. v. Louisiana
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-099, docket 1980-099-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “State or local government tax”
- Western & Southern Life Insurance Co. v. State Board of Equalization of California
- Commonwealth Edison Co. v. MontanaAltered precedent
- United States v. New Mexico
- Exxon Corp. v. Department of Revenue of Wisconsin
- Asarco Inc. v. Idaho State Tax CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
- F. W. Woolworth Co. v. Taxation and Revenue Department of New MexicoLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 3 (interstate commerce clause)
- Kassel v. Consolidated Freightways Corporation of DelawareLaw held unconstitutional
- Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe
- New England Power Co. v. New HampshireLaw held unconstitutional
- Reeves, Inc. v. Stake
- Lewis v. Bt Investment Managers, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Edgar v. Mite Corp.Law held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Environmental Protection Agency v. National Crushed Stone Association
- Potomac Electric Power Co. v. Director
- Minnesota v. Clover Leaf Creamery Co.
- Board of Governors of Federal Reserve System v. Investment Company Institute
- Steadman v. Securities and Exchange Commission
- Diamond v. Diehr
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