Railway Express Agency, Inc. v. Virginia
358 U.S. 434 · Decided February 24, 1959 · 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
Railway Express Agency, Inc. v. Virginia was decided on February 24, 1959 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Tom C. Clark wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “State or local government tax” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 358 U.S. 434 · 79 S. Ct. 411 · 3 L. Ed. 2d 450 · 1959 U.S. LEXIS 1487
- Docket number
- 38
- Decided
- February 24, 1959
- Argued
- October 15, 1958
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- 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
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent |
Full case caption
Railway Express Agency, Inc., v. Virginia
SCDB identifiers: case 1958-042, docket 1958-042-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “State or local government tax”
- Northwestern States Portland Cement Co. v. Minnesota
- Allied Stores of Ohio, Inc. v. Bowers
- Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Bowers
- E T & W N C Transportation Co. v. Currie
- Territory of Alaska v. American Can Co.
- American Motors Corp. v. City of Kenosha
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 3 (interstate commerce clause)
- Bibb v. Navajo Freight Lines, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Huron Portland Cement Co. v. City of Detroit
- Eli Lilly & Co. v. Sav-On-Drugs, Inc.
- Collins v. American Buslines, Inc.
- Colorado Anti-Discrimination Commission v. Continental Air Lines, Inc.
- Head v. New Mexico Board of Examiners in Optometry
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Moore v. Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis
- Sangamon Valley Television Corp. v. United States
- Wirl Television Corp. v. United States
- Deen v. Hickman
- Worz, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission
- Boston & Maine Railroad v. United States
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