Monessen Southwestern Railway Co. v. Morgan
486 U.S. 330 · Decided June 6, 1988 · 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
Monessen Southwestern Railway Co. v. Morgan was decided on June 6, 1988 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Election of remedies” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 486 U.S. 330 · 108 S. Ct. 1837 · 100 L. Ed. 2d 349 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 2485
- Docket number
- 86-1743
- Decided
- June 6, 1988
- Argued
- February 22, 1988
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Election of remedies
- 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 William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Monessen Southwestern Railway Co. v. Morgan
SCDB identifiers: case 1987-098, docket 1987-098-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Employers' Liability Act
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Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Gwaltney of Smithfield, Ltd. v. Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Inc.
- Mullins Coal Co., Inc. of Virginia v. Director
- Westfall v. Erwin et Ux.
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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