Cooper Industries, Inc. v. Aviall Services, Inc.
543 U.S. 157 · Decided December 13, 2004 · 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
Cooper Industries, Inc. v. Aviall Services, Inc. was decided on December 13, 2004 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Natural resources and environmental protection” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 543 U.S. 157 · 125 S. Ct. 577 · 160 L. Ed. 2d 548 · 2004 U.S. LEXIS 8271
- Docket number
- 02-1192
- Decided
- December 13, 2004
- Argued
- October 6, 2004
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Clarence Thomas
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Natural resources and environmental protection
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 42 U.S.C. § 9613
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Cooper Industries, Inc. v. Aviall Services, Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 2004-010, docket 2004-010-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Natural resources and environmental protection”
- Gale Norton v. Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
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- Bedroc Limited, LLC v. United States
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- Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation v. Environmental Protection Agency
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Norfolk Southern Railway Company v. James N. Kirby
- Koons Buick Pontiac GMC, Inc. v. Bradley Nigh
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- Rochelle Brosseau v. Kenneth J. Haugen
- Willard Stewart v. Dutra Construction Company
- George J. Tenet v. John Doe
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