Polar Tankers, Inc. v. City of Valdez
557 U.S. 1 · Decided June 15, 2009 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Polar Tankers, Inc. v. City of Valdez was decided on June 15, 2009 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Stephen G. Breyer 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 municipal or other local ordinance unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 557 U.S. 1 · 129 S. Ct. 2277 · 174 L. Ed. 2d 1 · 2009 U.S. LEXIS 4319
- Docket number
- 08-310
- Decided
- June 15, 2009
- Argued
- April 1, 2009
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Stephen G. Breyer
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- State or local government tax
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Article I, Section 10, Paragraph 2 (export-import clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Held unconstitutional
- A municipal or other local ordinance
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Polar Tankers, Inc. v. City of Valdez, Alaska
SCDB identifiers: case 2008-069, docket 2008-069-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “State or local government tax”
- Department of Revenue of Kentucky v. George W. Davis
- Meadwestvaco Corporation v. Illinois Department of Revenue
- CSX Transportation, Inc. v. Georgia State Board of Equalization
- CSX Transportation, Inc. v. Alabama Department of Revenue
- The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations v. City of New York
- Alicia G. Limtiaco v. Felix P. Camacho
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 10, Paragraph 2 (export-import clause)
- Department of Revenue v. James B. Beam Distilling Co.Law held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Donald C. Winter v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
- Kari E. Kennedy v. Plan Administrator for Dupont Savings and Investment Plan
- United States v. Eurodif S. A.
- Pacific Bell Telephone Company v. Linkline Communications, Inc.
- Entergy Corporation v. Riverkeeper, Inc.
- Ministry of Defense and Support for the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran v. Dariush Elahi
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