Saudi Arabia v. Scott Nelson et Ux.
507 U.S. 349 · Decided March 23, 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
Saudi Arabia v. Scott Nelson et Ux. was decided on March 23, 1993 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice David H. Souter 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. 349 · 113 S. Ct. 1471 · 123 L. Ed. 2d 47 · 1993 U.S. LEXIS 2398
- Docket number
- 91-522
- Decided
- March 23, 1993
- Argued
- November 30, 1992
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- David H. Souter
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 1330
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority |
Full case caption
Saudi Arabia, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Royspec v. Scott Nelson et Ux.
SCDB identifiers: case 1992-045, docket 1992-045-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- Sandra Jean Smith v. United States
- United States Department of Energy v. Ohio
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation v. John H. Meyer
- Shirley M. Molzof v. United States
- West Lynn Creamery, Inc. v. Jonathan HealyLaw held unconstitutional
- Hunter v. Bryant
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 1330
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
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- Spectrum Sports, Inc. v. Shirley McQuillan
- Itel Containers International Corporation v. Joe Huddleston
- Bob Reves v. Ernst & Young
- Sandra Jean Smith v. United States
- 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