Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. v. Albrecht
139 S. Ct. 1688 · Decided May 20, 2019 · 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
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. v. Albrecht was decided on May 20, 2019 unanimously (9–0). The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
- CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
- Supreme Court of the United States — slip opinions, October Term 2018
- Supreme Court of the United States — docket 17-290
Case details
- Citations
- 139 S. Ct. 1688 · 203 L. Ed. 2d 822 · 2019 U.S. LEXIS 3542
- Docket number
- 17-290
- Decided
- May 20, 2019
- Argued
- January 7, 2019
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Stephen G. Breyer
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority | |
| Justice Neil M. Gorsuch | Majority | |
| Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. v. Albrecht
SCDB identifiers: case 2018-024, docket 2018-024-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- Virginia Uranium v. Warren
- Kansas v. Garcia
- Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico v. Aurelius Investment, LLC
- Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association
- Coventry Health Care of Missouri v. Nevils
- Gobeille v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
- Pom Wonderful LLC v. Coca-Cola Co.
- Food and Drug Administration v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
- Medtronic, Inc. v. Lora Lohr et Vir
- Young v. Community Nutrition Institute
- United States v. Generix Drug Corp.
- United States v. Rutherford
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
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