American Telephone and Telegraph Company v. Central Office Telephone, Inc.
524 U.S. 214 · Decided June 15, 1998 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
American Telephone and Telegraph Company v. Central Office Telephone, Inc. was decided on June 15, 1998 by a vote of 7–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Antonin Scalia 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
- 524 U.S. 214 · 118 S. Ct. 1956 · 141 L. Ed. 2d 222 · 1998 U.S. LEXIS 4002
- Docket number
- 97-679
- Decided
- June 15, 1998
- Argued
- March 23, 1998
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–1
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Communications Act of 1934
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Did not participate: Sandra Day O'Connor.
Full case caption
American Telephone and Telegraph Company v. Central Office Telephone, Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 1997-086, docket 1997-086-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- Humana Inc. v. Mary Forsyth
- Marian Johnson v. Kristine L. Fankell
- Barbara A. de Buono v. Nysa-Ila Medical and Clinical Services Fund, Etc.
- Sandra Jean Dale Boggs v. Thomas F. Boggs
- California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement v. Dillingham Construction, N. A., Inc.
- United States v. Gary Locke
Cases on the same legal provision: Communications Act of 1934
- AT&T Corporation v. Iowa Utilities Board
- MCI Telecommunications Corporation v. American Telephone and Telegraph Company
- United States and Federal Communications Commission v. Edge Broadcasting Company T/a Power 94
- Federal Communications Commission and United States v. Beach Communications, Inc.
- National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X Internet Services
- Global Crossing Telecommunications, Inc. v. Metrophones Telecommunications, 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