Donna E. Shalala v. Margaret Whitecotton
514 U.S. 268 · Decided April 18, 1995 · 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
Donna E. Shalala v. Margaret Whitecotton was decided on April 18, 1995 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice David H. Souter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Governmental liability” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 514 U.S. 268 · 115 S. Ct. 1477 · 131 L. Ed. 2d 374 · 1995 U.S. LEXIS 2842
- Docket number
- 94-372
- Decided
- April 18, 1995
- Argued
- February 28, 1995
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- David H. Souter
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 42 U.S.C. § 300
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Concurrence |
Full case caption
Donna E. Shalala, Secretary of Health and Human Services v. Margaret Whitecotton et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1994-041, docket 1994-041-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- City of Milwaukee v. Cement Division
- Albert Hess and Charles F. Walsh v. Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation
- West Lynn Creamery, Inc. v. Jonathan HealyLaw held unconstitutional
- Hercules Incorporated v. United States
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation v. John H. Meyer
- James Griffin Lane v. Federico F. Pena
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 300
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Albert Hess and Charles F. Walsh v. Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation
- Charles J. Reich v. Marcus E. CollinsLaw held unconstitutional
- Asgrow Seed Company v. Denny Winterboer and Becky Winterboer
- Milwaukee Brewery Workers' Pension Plan v. Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company and Stroh Brewery Company
- Arthur L. Gustafson v. Alloyd Company
- Antonio Mastrobuono and Diana G. Mastrobuono v. Shearson Lehman Hutton, Inc.
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