Federal Maritime Commission v. South Carolina State Ports Authority
535 U.S. 743 · Decided May 28, 2002 · 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 Maritime Commission v. South Carolina State Ports Authority was decided on May 28, 2002 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “National supremacy, public utilities” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 535 U.S. 743 · 122 S. Ct. 1864 · 152 L. Ed. 2d 962 · 2002 U.S. LEXIS 3794
- Docket number
- 01-46
- Decided
- May 28, 2002
- Argued
- February 25, 2002
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Clarence Thomas
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- National supremacy, public utilities
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Eleventh Amendment
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- 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 | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Federal Maritime Commission v. South Carolina State Ports Authority et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2001-053, docket 2001-053-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, public utilities”
- Verizon Md. Inc. v. Public Service Comm'n of Md.
- Central Virginia Community College v. Bernard KatzAltered precedent
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- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission v. Mississippi
- Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen & Enginemen v. Chicago
- City of Tacoma v. Taxpayers of Tacoma
Cases on the same legal provision: Eleventh Amendment
- Paul D. Lapides v. Board of Regents of the University System of GeorgiaAltered precedent
- Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Patricia GarrettLaw held unconstitutional
- Linda Frew v. Albert Hawkins
- Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation v. Pamela L. Hood
- John H. Alden v. MaineLaw held unconstitutional
- Northern Insurance Company of New York v. Chatham County
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services v. Irene Blumer
- Paul D. Lapides v. Board of Regents of the University System of GeorgiaAltered precedent
- Verizon Md. Inc. v. Public Service Comm'n of Md.
- Rush Prudential HMO, Inc. v. Debra C. Moran
- City of Columbus v. Ours Garage and Wrecker Service, 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