Pilot Life Insurance Co. v. Dedeaux
481 U.S. 41 · Decided April 6, 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
Pilot Life Insurance Co. v. Dedeaux was decided on April 6, 1987 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 481 U.S. 41 · 107 S. Ct. 1549 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 39 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 1512
- Docket number
- 85-1043
- Decided
- April 6, 1987
- Argued
- January 21, 1987
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- 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)
- Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
- Type of law
- Federal 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 | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
Pilot Life Insurance Co. v. Dedeaux
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-067, docket 1986-067-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction”
- Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. v. Taylor
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers v. Hechler
- Caterpillar Inc. v. Williams
- Lingle v. Norge Division of Magic Chef, Inc.
- Allis-Chalmers Corp. v. Lueck
- Oklahoma Tax Commission v. Graham
Cases on the same legal provision: Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
- Fort Halifax Packing Co., Inc. v. Coyne
- Laborers Health and Welfare Trust Fund for Northern California v. Advanced Lightweight Concrete Co., Inc.
- Connolly v. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
- Mackey v. Lanier Collection Agency & Service, Inc.
- Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. v. Russell
- Central States v. Central Transport, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Rose v. Arkansas State PoliceLaw held unconstitutional
- West Virginia v. United States
- International Paper Co. v. Ouellette
- Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. v. Taylor
- Rose v. Rose
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers v. Hechler
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