Territory of Alaska v. American Can Co.
358 U.S. 224 · Decided January 12, 1959 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Territory of Alaska v. American Can Co. was decided on January 12, 1959 unanimously (7–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William O. Douglas 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. 224 · 79 S. Ct. 274 · 3 L. Ed. 2d 257 · 1959 U.S. LEXIS 1657
- Docket number
- 40
- Decided
- January 12, 1959
- Argued
- December 9, 1958
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- State or local government tax
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Territorial statute
- Type of law
- Other
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Did not participate: Felix Frankfurter, John M. Harlan II.
Full case caption
Territory of Alaska v. American Can Co. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1958-026, docket 1958-026-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “State or local government tax”
- Northwestern States Portland Cement Co. v. Minnesota
- Railway Express Agency, Inc. v. Virginia
- Allied Stores of Ohio, Inc. v. Bowers
- Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Bowers
- E T & W N C Transportation Co. v. Currie
- American Motors Corp. v. City of Kenosha
Cases on the same legal provision: Territorial statute
- Alaska Industrial Board v. Chugach Electric Association, Inc.
- United States v. Fullard-Leo
- Unemployment Compensation Commission of Alaska v. Aragon
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