Vera M. English v. General Electric Company
496 U.S. 72 · Decided June 4, 1990 · 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
Vera M. English v. General Electric Company was decided on June 4, 1990 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 496 U.S. 72 · 110 S. Ct. 2270 · 110 L. Ed. 2d 65 · 1990 U.S. LEXIS 2892
- Docket number
- 89-152
- Decided
- June 4, 1990
- Argued
- April 25, 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Atomic Energy Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| 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 |
Full case caption
Vera M. English v. General Electric Company
SCDB identifiers: case 1989-096, docket 1989-096-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- California v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
- Adams Fruit Co., Inc. v. Barrett
- FMC Corporation v. Cynthia Ann Holliday
- Ingersoll-Rand Company v. Perry McClendon
- Mansell v. Mansell
- Wisconsin Public Intervenor v. Ralph Mortier
Cases on the same legal provision: Atomic Energy Act
- Huffman v. Western Nuclear, Inc.
- Duke Power Co. v. Carolina Environmental Study Group, Inc.
- United States v. Boyd
- Power Reactor Development Co. v. International Union of Electrical
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas
- Rosenberg v. United States
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Tafflin v. Levitt
- Adams Fruit Co., Inc. v. Barrett
- Yellow Freight System, Inc. v. Donnelly
- United Steelworkers of America v. Rawson
- North Dakota v. United States
- California v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
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