Hercules Incorporated v. United States
516 U.S. 417 · Decided March 4, 1996 · 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
Hercules Incorporated v. United States was decided on March 4, 1996 by a vote of 6–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist 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
- 516 U.S. 417 · 116 S. Ct. 981 · 134 L. Ed. 2d 47 · 1996 U.S. LEXIS 1557
- Docket number
- 94-818
- Decided
- March 4, 1996
- Argued
- October 30, 1995
- 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
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Tucker Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: John Paul Stevens.
Full case caption
Hercules Incorporated, et al. v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1995-030, docket 1995-030-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- James Griffin Lane v. Federico F. Pena
- United States v. Winstar Corporation
- City of Milwaukee v. Cement Division
- Donna E. Shalala v. Margaret Whitecotton
- Regents of the University of California v. John Doe Etc.
- William Jefferson Clinton v. Paula Corbin Jones
Cases on the same legal provision: Tucker Act
- Army and Air Force Exchange Service v. Sheehan
- United States v. Testan
- Lee v. Thornton
- Richardson v. Morris
- Amell v. United States
- City of Fresno v. California
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Citizens Bank of Maryland v. David Strumpf
- William Field and Norinne Field v. Philip W. Mans
- Yamaha Motor Corporation, U. S. A. v. Lucien B. Calhoun
- Marjorie Zicherman, Etc. v. Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd.
- Lotus Development Corporation v. Borland International, Inc.
- Bank One Chicago, N. A. v. Midwest Bank & Trust Company
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