Northwest Airlines, Inc. v. County of Kent
510 U.S. 355 · Decided January 24, 1994 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Northwest Airlines, Inc. v. County of Kent was decided on January 24, 1994 by a vote of 7–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg 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
Case details
- Citations
- 510 U.S. 355 · 114 S. Ct. 855 · 127 L. Ed. 2d 183 · 1994 U.S. LEXIS 1140
- Docket number
- 92-97
- Decided
- January 24, 1994
- Argued
- November 29, 1993
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–1
- Majority opinion
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 49 U.S.C. § 1513
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- 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 | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Harry A. Blackmun.
Full case caption
Northwest Airlines, Inc., et al. v. County of Kent, Michigan, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1993-020, docket 1993-020-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- O'Melveny & Myers v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as Receiver for American Diversified Savings Bank
- Karen Livadas v. Victoria Bradshaw
- United States Department of the Treasury and Mitchell A. Levine v. George Fabe
- United States v. Idaho
- Building and Construction Trades Council of the Metropolitan District v. Associated Builders and Contractors of Massachusetts/rhode Island, Inc.
- American Airlines, Inc. v. Myron Wolens
Cases on the same legal provision: 49 U.S.C. § 1513
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- American Dredging Company v. William Robert Miller
- O'Melveny & Myers v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as Receiver for American Diversified Savings Bank
- Karen Livadas v. Victoria Bradshaw
- Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. v. Grant T. Norris
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