Adams Fruit Co., Inc. v. Barrett
494 U.S. 638 · Decided March 21, 1990 · 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
Adams Fruit Co., Inc. v. Barrett was decided on March 21, 1990 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 494 U.S. 638 · 110 S. Ct. 1384 · 108 L. Ed. 2d 585 · 1990 U.S. LEXIS 1534
- Docket number
- 88-2035
- Decided
- March 21, 1990
- Argued
- January 17, 1990
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 29 U.S.C. § 1854
- 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. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Adams Fruit Co., Inc. v. Barrett et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1989-054, docket 1989-054-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- California v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
- Vera M. English v. General Electric Company
- FMC Corporation v. Cynthia Ann Holliday
- Ingersoll-Rand Company v. Perry McClendon
- Mansell v. Mansell
- California v. Arc America Corp.
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Tafflin v. Levitt
- Yellow Freight System, Inc. v. Donnelly
- United Steelworkers of America v. Rawson
- North Dakota v. United States
- California v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
- Vera M. English v. General Electric Company
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