Yellow Freight System, Inc. v. Donnelly
494 U.S. 820 · Decided April 17, 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
Yellow Freight System, Inc. v. Donnelly was decided on April 17, 1990 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 494 U.S. 820 · 110 S. Ct. 1566 · 108 L. Ed. 2d 834 · 1990 U.S. LEXIS 2023
- Docket number
- 89-431
- Decided
- April 17, 1990
- Argued
- February 28, 1990
- 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
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII)
- 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 | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Yellow Freight System, Inc. v. Donnelly
SCDB identifiers: case 1989-059, docket 1989-059-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction”
- United Steelworkers of America v. Rawson
- Tafflin v. Levitt
- Oklahoma Tax Commission v. Graham
- Lingle v. Norge Division of Magic Chef, Inc.
- Thomas Cipollone v. Liggett Group, Inc.
- Caterpillar Inc. v. Williams
Cases on the same legal provision: Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII)
- Shirley W. Irwin v. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Independent Federation of Flight Attendants v. Zipes
- Lorance v. AT&T Technologies, Inc.
- Wards Cove Packing Co., Inc. v. Atonio
- International Union v. Johnson Controls, Inc.
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Arabian American Oil Co.
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Tafflin v. Levitt
- Adams Fruit Co., Inc. v. Barrett
- United Steelworkers of America v. Rawson
- North Dakota v. United States
- California v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
- Vera M. English v. General Electric Company
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