Kenneth Lee Baker and Steven Robert Baker v. General Motors Corporation
522 U.S. 222 · Decided January 13, 1998 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Kenneth Lee Baker and Steven Robert Baker v. General Motors Corporation was decided on January 13, 1998 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Miscellaneous interstate conflict” in the Interstate Relations area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 522 U.S. 222 · 118 S. Ct. 657 · 139 L. Ed. 2d 580 · 1998 U.S. LEXIS 455
- Docket number
- 96-653
- Decided
- January 13, 1998
- Argued
- October 15, 1997
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Miscellaneous interstate conflict
- Issue area
- Interstate Relations
- Legal provision
- Article IV, Section 1 (full faith and credit clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Unspecifiable what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Kenneth Lee Baker and Steven Robert Baker, by His Next Friend, Melissa Thomas v. General Motors Corporation
SCDB identifiers: case 1997-015, docket 1997-015-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Miscellaneous interstate conflict”
- Franchise Tax Board of California v. Gilbert P. Hyatt
- State of Texas v. State of New Mexico
- Kansas v. Nebraska and Colorado
- Montana v. Wyoming
- Texas v. New Mexico and Colorado
- Mississippi v. Tennessee
Cases on the same legal provision: Article IV, Section 1 (full faith and credit clause)
- Sun Oil Co. v. Wortman
- Underwriters National Assurance Co. v. North Carolina Life & Accident & Health Insurance Guaranty Assn.
- Allstate Insurance Co. v. Hague
- Thomas v. Washington Gas Light Co.Altered precedent
- Vl v. El
- California Franchise Tax Board v. Hyatt
Same Term, same area (Interstate Relations)
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