Betty E. Vaden v. Discover Bank
556 U.S. 49 · Decided March 9, 2009 · 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
Betty E. Vaden v. Discover Bank was decided on March 9, 2009 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision 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
- 556 U.S. 49 · 129 S. Ct. 1262 · 173 L. Ed. 2d 206 · 2009 U.S. LEXIS 1781
- Docket number
- 07-773
- Decided
- March 9, 2009
- Argued
- October 6, 2008
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Opinion assigned by
- Antonin Scalia
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 9-4
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Dissent |
Full case caption
Betty E. Vaden v. Discover Bank et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2008-031, docket 2008-031-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- Wyeth v. Diana Levine
- Edward Jerome Harbison v. Ricky Bell
- Altria Group, Inc. v. Stephanie Good
- Andrew M. Cuomo v. the Clearing House Association, L. L. C.
- Chamber of Commerce of the United States v. Brown
- G. Steven Rowe v. New Hampshire Motor Transport Association
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Altria Group, Inc. v. Stephanie Good
- Wyeth v. Diana Levine
- Edward Jerome Harbison v. Ricky Bell
- Andrew M. Cuomo v. the Clearing House Association, L. L. C.
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