South Dakota v. Dole
483 U.S. 203 · Decided June 23, 1987 · 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
South Dakota v. Dole was decided on June 23, 1987 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “National supremacy, miscellaneous” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 483 U.S. 203 · 107 S. Ct. 2793 · 97 L. Ed. 2d 171 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 2871
- Docket number
- 86-260
- Decided
- June 23, 1987
- Argued
- April 28, 1987
- Court era
- Rehnquist 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
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- National supremacy, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 23 U.S.C. § 158
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
South Dakota v. Dole, Secretary of Transportation
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-144, docket 1986-144-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, miscellaneous”
- Rose v. Arkansas State PoliceLaw held unconstitutional
- George S. Bennett v. ArkansasLaw held unconstitutional
- Atascadero State Hospital v. Scanlon
- Lawrence County v. Lead-Deadwood School District No. 40-1Law held unconstitutional
- Mark Howlett v. Scott Rose
- Pennhurst State School and Hospital v. HaldermanAltered precedent
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Rose v. Arkansas State PoliceLaw held unconstitutional
- West Virginia v. United States
- International Paper Co. v. Ouellette
- Pilot Life Insurance Co. v. Dedeaux
- Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. v. Taylor
- Rose v. Rose
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