104
Syllabus
with their tax laws and how much help those laws should provide. Once one realizes that not every provision in a single law must share a single objective, one has no difficulty finding the necessary rational support for the difference in tax rates here. Though harmful to the racetracks, it is helpful to the riverboats, which were also facing financial peril. This is not a case where the facts preclude any plausible inference that the reason for the different tax rates is to help the river-boat industry. Cf. Nordlinger, supra, at 16. Allegheny Pittsburgh Coal Co. v. Commission of Webster Cty., 488 U. S. 336, distinguished. Pp. 106-110.
648 N. W. 2d 555, reversed and remanded.
Breyer, J., delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court.
Thomas J. Miller, Attorney General of Iowa, argued the cause for petitioner. With him on the briefs were Julie F. Pottorff, Deputy Attorney General, and Jeffrey D. Farrell and Jean M. Davis, Assistant Attorneys General.
Kent L. Jones argued the cause for the United States as amicus curiae urging reversal. With him on the brief were Solicitor General Olson, Assistant Attorney General O'Connor, David English Carmack, and Judith A. Hagley.
Mark McCormick argued the cause for respondents. With him on the brief were Thomas L. Flynn, Edward M. Mansfield, Stephen C. Krumpe, and Lawrence P. McLellan.*
*Briefs of amici curiae urging reversal were filed for the State of Missouri et al. by Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon, Attorney General of Missouri, James R. Layton, State Solicitor, Alana M. Barragán-Scott, Assistant Attorney General, and by the Attorneys General for their respective jurisdictions as follows: William H. Pryor, Jr., of Alabama, Michael A. Cox of Michigan, Mike Hatch of Minnesota, Mike Moore of Mississippi, Patricia A. Madrid of New Mexico, Anabelle Rodríguez of Puerto Rico, Larry Long of South Dakota, Paul G. Summers of Tennessee, and William H. Sorrell of Vermont; and for the City of Bettendorf, Iowa, et al. by Thomas D. Waterman, Dennis W. Johnson, and Robert N. Johnson III. Briefs of amici curiae urging affirmance were filed for the City of Dubuque, Iowa, by Barry A. Lindahl; for Polk County, Iowa, by John P. Sarcone; and for the Institute for Justice by Clint Bolick, William H. Mellor, Dana Berliner, and Clark M. Neily.
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