W. S. Kirkpatrick & Co., Inc. v. Environmental Tectonics Corp.
493 U.S. 400 · Decided January 17, 1990 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
W. S. Kirkpatrick & Co., Inc. v. Environmental Tectonics Corp. was decided on January 17, 1990 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Act of State doctrine” in the Judicial Power area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 493 U.S. 400 · 110 S. Ct. 701 · 107 L. Ed. 2d 816 · 1990 U.S. LEXIS 486
- Docket number
- 87-2066
- Decided
- January 17, 1990
- Argued
- November 27, 1989
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Act of State doctrine
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal 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 | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
W. S. Kirkpatrick & Co., Inc., et al. v. Environmental Tectonics Corp., International
SCDB identifiers: case 1989-023, docket 1989-023-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Act of State doctrine”
- Alfred Dunhill of London, Inc. v. Republic of Cuba
- First National City Bank v. Banco Nacional de Cuba
- Banco Nacional de Cuba v. Sabbatino
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- James M. White, Etc. v. United States
- Pavelic & Leflore v. Marvel Entertainment Group
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- Spallone v. United States
- Franchise Tax Board of California v. Alcan Aluminium Ltd.
- Elizabeth Dole v. United Steelworkers of America
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