Rubin v. Islamic Republic of Iran
138 S. Ct. 816 · Decided February 21, 2018 · 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
Rubin v. Islamic Republic of Iran was decided on February 21, 2018 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Sonia Sotomayor 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 2017
Case details
- Citations
- 138 S. Ct. 816 · 200 L. Ed. 2d 58 · 2018 U.S. LEXIS 1376
- Docket number
- 16-534
- Decided
- February 21, 2018
- Argued
- December 4, 2017
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Sonia Sotomayor
- 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, 28 USCS ss 1602
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Neil M. Gorsuch | Majority |
Did not participate: Elena Kagan.
Full case caption
Rubin v. Islamic Republic of Iran
SCDB identifiers: case 2017-023, docket 2017-023-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- District of Columbia v. Wesby
- Escondido v. Emmons
- Republic of Sudan v. Harrison
- Thacker v. Tennessee Valley Authority
- State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. v. United States
- Franchise Tax Board of California v. HyattAltered precedent
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- District of Columbia v. Wesby
- Digital Realty Trust v. Somers
- Merit Management Group, Lp v. Fti Consulting, Inc
- U.S. Bank National Association v. Village at Lakeridge
- Cyan v. Beaver County Employees Retirement Fund
- Oil States Energy Services, LLC v. Greene’s Energy Group, LLC
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