Shirley M. Molzof v. United States
502 U.S. 301 · Decided January 14, 1992 · 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
Shirley M. Molzof v. United States was decided on January 14, 1992 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Clarence Thomas 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
- 502 U.S. 301 · 112 S. Ct. 711 · 116 L. Ed. 2d 731 · 1992 U.S. LEXIS 373
- Docket number
- 90-838
- Decided
- January 14, 1992
- Argued
- November 4, 1991
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Clarence Thomas
- 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)
- Conservative 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 | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Shirley M. Molzof, Personal Representative of the Estate of Robert E. Molzof v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1991-023, docket 1991-023-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- Hunter v. Bryant
- Kenneth Hilton v. South Carolina Public Railways Commission
- United States Department of Energy v. Ohio
- Edgar Blatchford v. Native Village of Noatak and Circle Village
- Frederick A. Siegert v. H. Melvin Gilley
- United States v. Gaubert
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)
- Southwest Marine, Inc. v. Byron Gizoni
- Union Bank v. Herbert Wolas
- Kenneth Hilton v. South Carolina Public Railways Commission
- Hunter v. Bryant
- Aletha Dewsnup v. Louis L. Timm
- United States v. Nordic Village Inc.
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