Arizona v. United States
567 U.S. 387 · Decided June 25, 2012 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Arizona v. United States was decided on June 25, 2012 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 Anthony M. Kennedy 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
- 567 U.S. 387 · 132 S. Ct. 2492 · 183 L. Ed. 2d 351 · 2012 U.S. LEXIS 4872
- Docket number
- 11-182
- Decided
- June 25, 2012
- Argued
- April 25, 2012
- Court era
- Roberts 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 did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Article VI, Section 2 (supremacy clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority |
Did not participate: Elena Kagan.
Full case caption
Arizona, et Al., Petitioners v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 2011-075, docket 2011-075-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- National Meat Association v. Kamala D. Harris
- Jerry W. Gunn v. Vernon F. Minton
- Aldona Wos v. E. M. A.
- Jacqueline Hillman v. Judy A. Maretta
- American Trucking Associations, Inc. v. City of Los Angeles
- Tarrant Regional Water District v. Rudolf John Herrmann
Cases on the same legal provision: Article VI, Section 2 (supremacy clause)
- Toby Douglas v. Independent Living Center of Southern California, Inc.
- David Bobby v. Robert J. Van Hook
- Armstrong v. Exceptional Child Center, Inc.
- Keith Haywood v. Curtis DrownLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. WashingtonLaw held unconstitutional
- Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- National Meat Association v. Kamala D. Harris
- Gloria Gail Kurns v. Railroad Friction Products Corporation
- Daniel Coleman v. Court of Appeals of MarylandLaw held unconstitutional
- National Federation of Independent Business v. Kathleen Sebelius
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