Verizon Md. Inc. v. Public Service Comm'n of Md.
535 U.S. 635 · Decided May 20, 2002 · 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
Verizon Md. Inc. v. Public Service Comm'n of Md. was decided on May 20, 2002 unanimously (8–0). The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “National supremacy, public utilities” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 535 U.S. 635 · 122 S. Ct. 1753 · 152 L. Ed. 2d 871 · 2002 U.S. LEXIS 3787
- Docket number
- 00-1531
- Decided
- May 20, 2002
- Argued
- December 5, 2001
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- National supremacy, public utilities
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 47 U.S.C. § 251
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Concurrence | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Concurrence |
Did not participate: Sandra Day O'Connor.
Full case caption
Verizon Md. Inc. v. Public Service Comm'n of Md.
SCDB identifiers: case 2001-049, docket 2001-049-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, public utilities”
- Federal Maritime Commission v. South Carolina State Ports Authority
- Central Virginia Community College v. Bernard KatzAltered precedent
- Hughes v. PPL Energyplus
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission v. Mississippi
- Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen & Enginemen v. Chicago
- City of Tacoma v. Taxpayers of Tacoma
Cases on the same legal provision: 47 U.S.C. § 251
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services v. Irene Blumer
- Paul D. Lapides v. Board of Regents of the University System of GeorgiaAltered precedent
- Federal Maritime Commission v. South Carolina State Ports Authority
- Rush Prudential HMO, Inc. v. Debra C. Moran
- City of Columbus v. Ours Garage and Wrecker Service, 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