Donald J. Willy v. Coastal Corporation
503 U.S. 131 · Decided March 3, 1992 · 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
Donald J. Willy v. Coastal Corporation was decided on March 3, 1992 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal rules of civil procedure” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 503 U.S. 131 · 112 S. Ct. 1076 · 117 L. Ed. 2d 280 · 1992 U.S. LEXIS 1521
- Docket number
- 90-1150
- Decided
- March 3, 1992
- Argued
- December 3, 1991
- 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 H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal rules of civil procedure
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- Type of law
- Court rules
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority |
Full case caption
Donald J. Willy v. Coastal Corporation, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1991-039, docket 1991-039-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal rules of civil procedure”
- William Lewis Smith v. Wayne S. Barry
- Business Guides, Inc. v. Chromatic Communications Enterprises, Inc. and Michael Shipp
- Billy J. Temple v. Synthes Corporation, Ltd.
- Cooter & Gell v. Hartmarx Corporation
- Pavelic & Leflore v. Marvel Entertainment Group
- Green v. Bock Laundry Machine Co.
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- Robert C. Rufo v. Inmates of the Suffolk County Jail
- Eastman Kodak Company v. Image Technical Services, Inc.
- Jill S. Kamen v. Kemper Financial Services, Inc.
- Charlene Leatherman v. Tarrant County Narcotics Intelligence and Coordination Unit
- Firstier Mortgage Company v. Investors Mortgage Insurance Company
- Missouri v. Jenkins
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States v. McOrp Financial, Inc.
- Robert E. Gibson v. Florida Bar
- William Lewis Smith v. Wayne S. Barry
- State of Wyoming v. State of OklahomaLaw held unconstitutional
- John J. McCarthy v. Larry Madigan
- Connecticut National Bank v. Thomas M. Germain
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