North Dakota v. United States
495 U.S. 423 · Decided May 21, 1990 · 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
North Dakota v. United States was decided on May 21, 1990 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “National supremacy, commodities” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 495 U.S. 423 · 110 S. Ct. 1986 · 109 L. Ed. 2d 420 · 1990 U.S. LEXIS 2574
- Docket number
- 88-926
- Decided
- May 21, 1990
- Argued
- October 31, 1989
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- National supremacy, commodities
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Twenty-First Amendment
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent |
Full case caption
North Dakota et al. v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1989-080, docket 1989-080-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, commodities”
- Stephen P. Crosby v. National Foreign Trade CouncilLaw held unconstitutional
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- Allenberg Cotton Co., Inc. v. Pittman
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- Hostetter v. Idlewild Bon Voyage Liquor Corp.Law held unconstitutional
- Public Utilities Commission of California v. United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Twenty-First Amendment
- City of Newport v. Iacobucci
- New York State Liquor Authority v. Bellanca
- United States v. Tax Commission of MississippiLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. State Tax Commission of Mississippi
- California v. Washington
- Gordon v. Texas.
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Tafflin v. Levitt
- Adams Fruit Co., Inc. v. Barrett
- Yellow Freight System, Inc. v. Donnelly
- United Steelworkers of America v. Rawson
- California v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
- Vera M. English v. General Electric Company
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