John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company v. Harris Trust and Savings Bank
510 U.S. 86 · Decided December 13, 1993 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company v. Harris Trust and Savings Bank was decided on December 13, 1993 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Employee Retirement Income Security Act” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 510 U.S. 86 · 114 S. Ct. 517 · 126 L. Ed. 2d 524 · 1993 U.S. LEXIS 7940
- Docket number
- 92-1074
- Decided
- December 13, 1993
- Argued
- October 12, 1993
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Employee Retirement Income Security Act
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company v. Harris Trust and Savings Bank, as Trustee of the Sperry Master Retirement Trust No. 2
SCDB identifiers: case 1993-008, docket 1993-008-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Employee Retirement Income Security Act”
- Concrete Pipe and Products of California, Inc. v. Construction Laborers Pension Trust for Southern California
- William J. Mertens v. Hewitt Associates
- Milwaukee Brewery Workers' Pension Plan v. Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company and Stroh Brewery Company
- Curtiss-Wright Corporation v. Frank C. Schoonejongen
- Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company v. Robert T. Darden
- D. Grant Peacock v. Jack L. Thomas
Cases on the same legal provision: Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
- The District of Columbia and Sharon Pratt Kelly v. the Greater Washington Board of Trade
- New York State Conference of Blue Cross & Blue Shield Plans v. Travelers Insurance Company
- Ingersoll-Rand Company v. Perry McClendon
- FMC Corporation v. Cynthia Ann Holliday
- California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement v. Dillingham Construction, N. A., Inc.
- Barbara A. de Buono v. Nysa-Ila Medical and Clinical Services Fund, Etc.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Department of Revenue of Oregon v. Acf Industries, Inc.
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation v. John H. Meyer
- Luther R. Campbell aka Luke Skyywalker v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.
- Oregon Waste Systems, Inc. v. Department of Environmental Quality of the State of OregonLaw held unconstitutional
- Central Bank of Denver, N. A. v. First Interstate Bank of Denver, N. A. and Jack K. Naber
- McDermott, Inc. v. Amclyde and River Don Castings Ltd.
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