Perry v. Thomas
482 U.S. 483 · Decided June 15, 1987 · 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
Perry v. Thomas was decided on June 15, 1987 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Thurgood Marshall 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
- 482 U.S. 483 · 107 S. Ct. 2520 · 96 L. Ed. 2d 426 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 2620
- Docket number
- 86-566
- Decided
- June 15, 1987
- Argued
- April 28, 1987
- 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
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 9 U.S.C. § 2
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
Perry et al. v. Thomas
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-126, docket 1986-126-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- Fort Halifax Packing Co., Inc. v. Coyne
- International Paper Co. v. Ouellette
- Eric J. Schneidewind v. Anr Pipeline Company and Anr Storage Company
- Puerto Rico Department of Consumer Affairs v. Isla Petroleum Corporation
- City of New York v. Federal Communications Commission
- Baker v. General Motors Corp.
Cases on the same legal provision: 9 U.S.C. § 2
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Rose v. Arkansas State PoliceLaw held unconstitutional
- West Virginia v. United States
- International Paper Co. v. Ouellette
- Pilot Life Insurance Co. v. Dedeaux
- Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. v. Taylor
- Rose v. Rose
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