National Private Truck Council, Inc., et al. v. Oklahoma Tax Commission et al.

Decided June 19, 1995. Clarence Thomas delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 94-688 · 515 U.S. 582 (1995) · Cited 157 times

Holding

The state courts’ application of the Massachusetts public accommodations law to require private citizens who organize a parade to include among the marchers a group imparting a message that the organizers do not wish to convey violates the First Amendment.

The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.

How the Justices voted

Decided 9–0.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.

Precedents cited

Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.

• Fair Assessment in Real Estate Assn., Inc. v. McNary · 454 U.S. 100 (1981)
• Dows v. City of Chicago · 78 U.S. 108 (1871)
• McKesson Corp. v. Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, Fla. Dept. of Business Regulation · 496 U.S. 18 (1990)
• Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. v. Huffman · 319 U.S. 293 (1943)
• Matthews v. Rodgers · 284 U.S. 521 (1932)
• California v. Grace Brethren Church · 457 U.S. 393 (1982)
• Palmore v. United States · 411 U.S. 389 (1973)
• Dennis v. Higgins · 498 U.S. 439 (1991)
• Will v. Michigan Department of State Police · 491 U.S. 58 (1989)
• Monroe v. Pape · 365 U.S. 167 (1961)
• Martinez v. California · 444 U.S. 277 (1980)
• Harper v. Virginia Department of Taxation · 509 U.S. 86 (1993)
• SAMUELS Et Al. v. MACKELL, DISTRICT ATTORNEY OF QUEENS COUNTY, Et Al. · 401 U.S. 66 (1971)
• Felder v. Casey · 487 U.S. 131 (1988)
• Perez v. Ledesma · 401 U.S. 82 (1971)
• Golden State Transit Corp. v. City of Los Angeles · 493 U.S. 103 (1989)
• Arkansas Writers' Project, Inc. v. Ragland · 481 U.S. 221 (1987)
• Boise Artesian Hot & Cold Water Co. v. Boise City · 213 U.S. 276 (1909)
• Singer Sewing MacHine Co. of NJ v. Benedict · 229 U.S. 481 (1913)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• Hibbs v. Winn · 542 U.S. 88 (2004)
• Florida Department of Revenue v. Piccadilly Cafeterias, Inc. · 554 U.S. 33 (2008)
• Quackenbush v. Allstate Insurance · 517 U.S. 706 (1996)
• Young v. United States · 535 U.S. 43 (2002)
• Haywood v. Drown · 556 U.S. 729 (2009)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

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Clarence Thomas’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court

Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1995). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).