Opinion

Levin v. Commerce Energy, Inc.

  • 560 U.S. 413
  • 22 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. S 408
  • 78 U.S.L.W. 4491
  • 176 L. Ed. 2d 1131
  • 130 S. Ct. 2323
Court
Supreme Court of the United States
Filed
Jun 1, 2010
Status
Published
Author
Kennedy
On the bench
Alito, Breyer, Ginsburg, Kennedy, Roberts, Scalia, Sotomayor, Stevens, Thomas
Cited by
200 cases
Authority
More cited than 14.3%

explaining that “if the Ohio scheme is in- deed unconstitutional, surely the Ohio courts are better posi- tioned to determine—unless and until the Ohio legislature weighs in—how to comply with the mandate of equal treat- ment”

How later courts described this case

  • explaining that “if the Ohio scheme is in- deed unconstitutional, surely the Ohio courts are better posi- tioned to determine—unless and until the Ohio legislature weighs in—how to comply with the mandate of equal treat- ment”
  • recognizing that “[pjlaintiffs need not demonstrate that there is a ‘guarantee’ that their injuries will be redressed by a favorable decision” but “only that a favorable decision is likely to redress” their injuries
  • noting that an adequate legal remedy “must be one cognizable in federal court ” (internal quotation marks omitted)
  • holding that comity required plaintiffs’ claim to proceed originally in state court where plaintiffs alleged “discriminatory taxation in violation of the Commerce and Equal Protection Clauses”

Written by the judges who cited it.

Distinguished

  • Distinguished by JMCB, LLC v. Bd. of Commerce & Indus., 293 F. Supp. 3d 580 (2017)

    The Court bases this on two grounds: (1) the fact that the State Defendants have waived any objection to comity, and (2) Levin 's holding and reasoning, which are distinguishable from this case.
    District Court, M.D. LouisianaDec 4, 2017Read it
  • Distinguished by Petrella v. Brownback, 980 F. Supp. 2d 1293 (2013)

    Levin is clearly distinguishable, as that case turned on the Supreme Court’s disfavor of the federal courts’ interference with state taxation schemes.
    District Court, D. KansasOct 29, 2013Read it

The opinion

SEPARATE OPINIONS

Justice Kennedy,

concurring.

The Court’s rationale in Hibbs v. Winn, 542 U.S. 88 , 124 S. Ct. 2276 , 159 L. Ed. 2d 172 (2004), seems to me still doubtful. Nothing in the Court’s opinion today expands Hibbs’ holding further, however, and on that understanding I join the opinion of the Court.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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