Sandra Jean Smith v. United States
507 U.S. 197 · Decided March 8, 1993 · 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
Sandra Jean Smith v. United States was decided on March 8, 1993 by a vote of 8–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Governmental liability” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 507 U.S. 197 · 113 S. Ct. 1178 · 122 L. Ed. 2d 548 · 1993 U.S. LEXIS 1950
- Docket number
- 91-1538
- Decided
- March 8, 1993
- Argued
- December 7, 1992
- 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
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Federal Tort Claims Act or Alien Tort Statute
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority |
Full case caption
Sandra Jean Smith v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1992-038, docket 1992-038-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- Saudi Arabia v. Scott Nelson et Ux.
- United States Department of Energy v. Ohio
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation v. John H. Meyer
- Shirley M. Molzof v. United States
- Hunter v. Bryant
- Kenneth Hilton v. South Carolina Public Railways Commission
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Tort Claims Act or Alien Tort Statute
- William McNeil v. United States
- United States v. Hohri
- Jose Francisco Sosa v. Humberto Alvarez-Machain
- United States v. Joseph Olson
- Richards v. United States
- United States v. Brown
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Bath Iron Works Corporation v. Director
- Spectrum Sports, Inc. v. Shirley McQuillan
- Itel Containers International Corporation v. Joe Huddleston
- Bob Reves v. Ernst & Young
- Saudi Arabia v. Scott Nelson et Ux.
- Pioneer Investment Services Company v. Brunswick Associates Limited Partnership
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