Gloria Gail Kurns v. Railroad Friction Products Corporation
565 U.S. 625 · Decided February 29, 2012 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Gloria Gail Kurns v. Railroad Friction Products Corporation was decided on February 29, 2012 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 565 U.S. 625 · 132 S. Ct. 1261 · 182 L. Ed. 2d 116 · 2012 U.S. LEXIS 1836
- Docket number
- 10-879
- Decided
- February 29, 2012
- Argued
- November 9, 2011
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Clarence Thomas
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 49-20701
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Gloria Gail Kurns, Executrix of the Estate of George M. Corson, Deceased, et Al., Petitioners v. Railroad Friction Products Corporation et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2011-029, docket 2011-029-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction”
- Keith Smith v. Bayer Corporation
- Dan’s City Used Cars, Inc. v. Robert Pelkey
- Richard A. Levin v. Commerce Energy, Inc.
- Northwest, Inc. v. Ginsberg
- Jose Ernesto Medellin v. Texas
- Warner-Lambert Co., LLC v. Kimberly Kent
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- National Meat Association v. Kamala D. Harris
- Daniel Coleman v. Court of Appeals of MarylandLaw held unconstitutional
- Arizona v. United States
- National Federation of Independent Business v. Kathleen Sebelius
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