Kenneth Hilton v. South Carolina Public Railways Commission
502 U.S. 197 · Decided December 15, 1991 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Kenneth Hilton v. South Carolina Public Railways Commission was decided on December 15, 1991 by a vote of 6–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy 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
- 502 U.S. 197 · 112 S. Ct. 560 · 116 L. Ed. 2d 560 · 1991 U.S. LEXIS 7176
- Docket number
- 90-848
- Decided
- December 15, 1991
- Argued
- October 8, 1991
- 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
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Federal Employers' Liability Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority |
Did not participate: Clarence Thomas.
Full case caption
Kenneth Hilton v. South Carolina Public Railways Commission
SCDB identifiers: case 1991-016, docket 1991-016-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- Hunter v. Bryant
- Shirley M. Molzof v. United States
- United States Department of Energy v. Ohio
- Edgar Blatchford v. Native Village of Noatak and Circle Village
- Frederick A. Siegert v. H. Melvin Gilley
- United States v. Gaubert
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Employers' Liability Act
- Consolidated Rail Corporation v. James E. Gottshall
- Monessen Southwestern Railway Co. v. Morgan
- Atchison v. Buell
- Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company v. Michael Buckley
- St. Louis Southwestern Railway Co. v. Dickerson
- Norfolk & Western Railway Company v. Freeman Ayers
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Southwest Marine, Inc. v. Byron Gizoni
- Union Bank v. Herbert Wolas
- Hunter v. Bryant
- Shirley M. Molzof v. United States
- Aletha Dewsnup v. Louis L. Timm
- United States v. Nordic Village 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