Chan v. Korean Air Lines, Ltd.
490 U.S. 122 · Decided April 18, 1989 · 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
Chan v. Korean Air Lines, Ltd. was decided on April 18, 1989 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability, miscellaneous” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 490 U.S. 122 · 109 S. Ct. 1676 · 104 L. Ed. 2d 113 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 2026
- Docket number
- 87-1055
- Decided
- April 18, 1989
- Argued
- December 7, 1988
- 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
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Treaty
- Type of law
- Other
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Chan et al. v. Korean Air Lines, Ltd.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-074, docket 1988-074-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: Treaty
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- United States v. Humberto Alvarez-Machain
- United States v. Louisiana
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Goldberg v. Sweet
- Allegheny Pittsburgh Coal Co. v. County Commission of Webster CountyLaw held unconstitutional
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- Massachusetts v. Morash
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