Felder v. Casey
487 U.S. 131 · Decided June 22, 1988 · 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
Felder v. Casey was decided on June 22, 1988 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 487 U.S. 131 · 108 S. Ct. 2302 · 101 L. Ed. 2d 123 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 2867
- Docket number
- 87-526
- Decided
- June 22, 1988
- Argued
- March 28, 1988
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Felder v. Casey et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1987-131, docket 1987-131-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- Mackey v. Lanier Collection Agency & Service, Inc.
- City of New York v. Federal Communications Commission
- Puerto Rico Department of Consumer Affairs v. Isla Petroleum Corporation
- Eric J. Schneidewind v. Anr Pipeline Company and Anr Storage Company
- Shell Oil Company v. Iowa Department of Revenue
- Bonito Boats, Inc. v. Thunder Craft Boats, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- West v. Atkins
- Forrester v. White
- Owens v. Okure
- City of Canton v. Harris
- Graham v. Connor
- Hardin v. Straub
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- United States of America v. State of Louisiana
- Eric J. Schneidewind v. Anr Pipeline Company and Anr Storage Company
- George S. Bennett v. ArkansasLaw held unconstitutional
- Puerto Rico Department of Consumer Affairs v. Isla Petroleum Corporation
- South Carolina v. BakerAltered precedent
- City of New York v. Federal Communications 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