Dennis Bates v. Dow Agrosciences LLC
544 U.S. 431 · Decided April 27, 2005 · 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
Dennis Bates v. Dow Agrosciences LLC was decided on April 27, 2005 by a vote of 7–2. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John Paul Stevens 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
- 544 U.S. 431 · 125 S. Ct. 1788 · 161 L. Ed. 2d 687 · 2005 U.S. LEXIS 3706
- Docket number
- 03-388
- Decided
- April 27, 2005
- Argued
- January 10, 2005
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
- Type of law
- Federal 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 | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Dennis Bates, et al. v. Dow Agrosciences LLC
SCDB identifiers: case 2004-044, docket 2004-044-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction”
- Rex R. Sprietsma v. Mercury Marine
- Donna S. Riegel v. Medtronic, Inc.
- Arnold M. Preston v. Alex E. Ferrer
- Warner-Lambert Co., LLC v. Kimberly Kent
- Jose Ernesto Medellin v. Texas
- Norfolk Southern Railway Company v. Dedra Shanklin
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Alberto R. Gonzales v. Angel McClary Raich
- State of Alaska v. United States of America
- Mid-Con Freight Systems, Inc. v. Michigan Public Service Commission
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