Caterpillar Inc. v. Williams
482 U.S. 386 · Decided June 9, 1987 · 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
Caterpillar Inc. v. Williams was decided on June 9, 1987 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 482 U.S. 386 · 107 S. Ct. 2425 · 96 L. Ed. 2d 318 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 2607
- Docket number
- 86-526
- Decided
- June 9, 1987
- Argued
- April 21, 1987
- 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
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Labor-Management Relations Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
Caterpillar Inc. et al. v. Williams et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-121, docket 1986-121-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction”
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers v. Hechler
- Pilot Life Insurance Co. v. Dedeaux
- Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. v. Taylor
- Lingle v. Norge Division of Magic Chef, Inc.
- Oklahoma Tax Commission v. Graham
- Allis-Chalmers Corp. v. Lueck
Cases on the same legal provision: Labor-Management Relations Act
- Lynn L. Breininger v. Sheet Metal Workers International Association Local Union No. 6
- Arthur Groves v. Ring Screw Works
- Jim McNeff, Inc. v. Todd
- Summit Valley Industries, Inc. v. Local 112
- United Mine Workers of America Health & Retirement Funds v. Robinson
- National Labor Relations Board v. Amax Coal Co.
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Rose v. Arkansas State PoliceLaw held unconstitutional
- West Virginia v. United States
- International Paper Co. v. Ouellette
- Pilot Life Insurance Co. v. Dedeaux
- Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. v. Taylor
- Rose v. Rose
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