Delbert Williamson v. Mazda Motor of America, Inc.
562 U.S. 323 · Decided February 23, 2011 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Delbert Williamson v. Mazda Motor of America, Inc. was decided on February 23, 2011 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Stephen G. Breyer 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
- 562 U.S. 323 · 131 S. Ct. 1131 · 179 L. Ed. 2d 75 · 2011 U.S. LEXIS 1711
- Docket number
- 08-1314
- Decided
- February 23, 2011
- Argued
- November 3, 2010
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Stephen G. Breyer
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Type of law
- No legal provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Elena Kagan.
Full case caption
Delbert Williamson, et Al., Petitioners v. Mazda Motor of America, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2010-018, docket 2010-018-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- Russel Bruesewitz Petitioners v. Wyeth LLC
- Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America v. Michael B. Whiting
- Plivia, Inc. v. Gladys Mensing
- National Meat Association v. Kamala D. Harris
- Arizona v. United States
- Andrew M. Cuomo v. the Clearing House Association, L. L. C.
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Russel Bruesewitz Petitioners v. Wyeth LLC
- Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy v. James W. Stewart III
- Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America v. Michael B. Whiting
- Keith Smith v. Bayer Corporation
- Plivia, Inc. v. Gladys Mensing
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