Opati v. Republic of Sudan
140 S. Ct. 1601 · Decided May 18, 2020 · 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
Opati v. Republic of Sudan was decided on May 18, 2020 unanimously (8–0). The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Neil M. Gorsuch wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Governmental liability” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
- CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
- Supreme Court of the United States — slip opinions, October Term 2019
- Supreme Court of the United States — docket 17-1268
Case details
- Citations
- 140 S. Ct. 1601 · 206 L. Ed. 2d 904 · 2020 U.S. LEXIS 2844
- Docket number
- 17-1268
- Decided
- May 18, 2020
- Argued
- February 24, 2020
- 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
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Neil M. Gorsuch
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority | |
| Justice Neil M. Gorsuch | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Brett M. Kavanaugh.
Full case caption
Opati v. Republic of Sudan
SCDB identifiers: case 2019-032, docket 2019-032-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- Maine Community Health Options v. United States
- Hernandez v. Mesa
- Republic of Hungary v. Simon
- Federal Republic of Germany v. Philipp
- Brownback v. King
- Franchise Tax Board of California v. HyattAltered precedent
Cases on the same legal provision: Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Rotkiske v. Klemm
- Retirement Plans Committee of IBM v. Jander
- Ritzen Group Inc. v. Jackson Masonry, LLC
- Hernandez v. Mesa
- Intel Corp. Investment Policy Committee v. Sulyma
- Citgo Asphalt Refining Co. v. Frescati Shipping Co., Ltd.
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