United States v. Marcus S. Smith
499 U.S. 160 · Decided March 20, 1991 · 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
United States v. Marcus S. Smith was decided on March 20, 1991 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Thurgood Marshall 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
- 499 U.S. 160 · 111 S. Ct. 1180 · 113 L. Ed. 2d 134 · 1991 U.S. LEXIS 1717
- Docket number
- 89-1646
- Decided
- March 20, 1991
- Argued
- November 7, 1990
- 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
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Federal Employers' Liability Act
- 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 Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| 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 | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority |
Full case caption
United States et al. v. Marcus S. Smith et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1990-047, docket 1990-047-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- United States v. Gaubert
- Frederick A. Siegert v. H. Melvin Gilley
- Edgar Blatchford v. Native Village of Noatak and Circle Village
- Kenneth Hilton v. South Carolina Public Railways Commission
- Hunter v. Bryant
- Office of Personnel Management v. Charles Richmond
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Employers' Liability Act
- Monessen Southwestern Railway Co. v. Morgan
- Consolidated Rail Corporation v. James E. Gottshall
- Atchison v. Buell
- St. Louis Southwestern Railway Co. v. Dickerson
- Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company v. Michael Buckley
- Norfolk & Western Railway Co. v. Liepelt
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Mercedel W. Miles v. Apex Marine Corporation
- Jay Palmer v. BRG of Georgia, Inc.
- Arcadia v. Ohio Power Company
- Coy R. Grogan v. Frank J. Garner, Jr.
- McDermott International, Inc. v. Jon C. Wilander
- Trinova Corporation v. Michigan Department of Treasury
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