Norfolk Southern Railway Company v. James N. Kirby
543 U.S. 14 · Decided November 9, 2004 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Norfolk Southern Railway Company v. James N. Kirby was decided on November 9, 2004 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability, miscellaneous” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 543 U.S. 14 · 125 S. Ct. 385 · 160 L. Ed. 2d 283 · 2004 U.S. LEXIS 7510
- Docket number
- 02-1028
- Decided
- November 9, 2004
- Argued
- October 6, 2004
- 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
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative 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 | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Norfolk Southern Railway Company v. James N. Kirby, Pty Ltd., Dba Kirby Engineering, and Allianz Australia Insurance Limited
SCDB identifiers: case 2004-002, docket 2004-002-01.
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Other cases on “Liability, miscellaneous”
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- United States v. Joseph Olson
- Norfolk Southern Railway Company v. Timothy Sorrell
- Rockwell International Corp. v. United States
- Jo Anne B. Barnhart v. Sigmon Coal Company, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Koons Buick Pontiac GMC, Inc. v. Bradley Nigh
- Kp Permanent Make-Up, Inc. v. Lasting Impression I, Inc.
- Cooper Industries, Inc. v. Aviall Services, Inc.
- Rochelle Brosseau v. Kenneth J. Haugen
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- George J. Tenet v. John Doe
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