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Northwest Central Pipeline Corp. v. State Corporation Commission of Kansas

489 U.S. 493 · Decided March 6, 1989 · 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

Northwest Central Pipeline Corp. v. State Corporation Commission of Kansas was decided on March 6, 1989 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “State or local business regulation” in the Economic Activity area.

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Case details

Citations
489 U.S. 493 · 109 S. Ct. 1262 · 103 L. Ed. 2d 509 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 1315
Docket number
86-1856
Decided
March 6, 1989
Argued
November 29, 1988
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Affirmed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
Vote
9–0 (unanimous)
Majority opinion
William J. Brennan Jr.
Opinion assigned by
William H. Rehnquist
How the case arrived
Appeal
Legal provision
Article VI, Section 2 (supremacy clause)
Type of law
Constitution
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

Northwest Central Pipeline Corp. v. State Corporation Commission of Kansas et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1988-048, docket 1988-048-01.

Other cases on “State or local business regulation”

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Cases on the same legal provision: Article VI, Section 2 (supremacy clause)

Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)

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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