Buckman Company v. Plaintiffs' Legal Committee
531 U.S. 341 · Decided February 21, 2001 · 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
Buckman Company v. Plaintiffs' Legal Committee was decided on February 21, 2001 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist 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
- 531 U.S. 341 · 121 S. Ct. 1012 · 148 L. Ed. 2d 854 · 2001 U.S. LEXIS 1701
- Docket number
- 98-1768
- Decided
- February 21, 2001
- Argued
- December 4, 2000
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
- 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 | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Buckman Company v. Plaintiffs' Legal Committee
SCDB identifiers: case 2000-021, docket 2000-021-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- Donna Rae Egelhoff v. Samantha Egelhoff
- Lorillard Tobacco Company v. Thomas F. ReillyLaw held unconstitutional
- Alexis Geier v. American Honda Motor Company, Inc.
- United States v. Gary Locke
- Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services v. Irene Blumer
- Rush Prudential HMO, Inc. v. Debra C. Moran
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
- Food and Drug Administration v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
- Medtronic, Inc. v. Lora Lohr et Vir
- Pom Wonderful LLC v. Coca-Cola Co.
- Young v. Community Nutrition Institute
- United States v. Generix Drug Corp.
- United States v. Rutherford
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Patricia GarrettLaw held unconstitutional
- Donna Rae Egelhoff v. Samantha Egelhoff
- Arkansas v. Kenneth Andrew Sullivan
- Lorillard Tobacco Company v. Thomas F. ReillyLaw held unconstitutional
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