American Airlines, Inc. v. Myron Wolens
513 U.S. 219 · Decided January 18, 1995 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
American Airlines, Inc. v. Myron Wolens was decided on January 18, 1995 by a vote of 5–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg 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
- 513 U.S. 219 · 115 S. Ct. 817 · 130 L. Ed. 2d 715 · 1995 U.S. LEXIS 690
- Docket number
- 93-1286
- Decided
- January 18, 1995
- Argued
- November 1, 1994
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 49 U.S.C. § 1305
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Did not participate: Antonin Scalia.
Full case caption
American Airlines, Inc. v. Myron Wolens et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1994-015, docket 1994-015-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- Allied-Bruce Terminix Companies, Inc. v. G. Michael Dobson
- Freightliner Corporation v. Ben Myrick
- New York State Conference of Blue Cross & Blue Shield Plans v. Travelers Insurance Company
- O'Melveny & Myers v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as Receiver for American Diversified Savings Bank
- Karen Livadas v. Victoria Bradshaw
- Northwest Airlines, Inc. v. County of Kent
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Nebraska Department of Revenue v. John Loewenstein
- Allied-Bruce Terminix Companies, Inc. v. G. Michael Dobson
- Freightliner Corporation v. Ben Myrick
- United States v. Alfonso Lopez, Jr.Law held unconstitutional
- New York State Conference of Blue Cross & Blue Shield Plans v. Travelers Insurance Company
- U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Ray ThorntonLaw held unconstitutional
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