Federal Aviation Administration v. Stanmore Cawthon Cooper
566 U.S. 284 · Decided March 28, 2012 · 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
Federal Aviation Administration v. Stanmore Cawthon Cooper was decided on March 28, 2012 by a vote of 5–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Privacy” in the Privacy area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 566 U.S. 284 · 132 S. Ct. 1441 · 182 L. Ed. 2d 497 · 2012 U.S. LEXIS 2539
- Docket number
- 10-1024
- Decided
- March 28, 2012
- Argued
- November 30, 2011
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- Samuel A. Alito Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Privacy
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Legal provision
- 5-552
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Elena Kagan.
Full case caption
Federal Aviation Administration, et Al., Petitioners v. Stanmore Cawthon Cooper
SCDB identifiers: case 2011-043, docket 2011-043-01.
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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