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Chicago & North Western Transportation Co. v. Kalo Brick & Tile Co.

450 U.S. 311 · Decided March 9, 1981 · 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

Chicago & North Western Transportation Co. v. Kalo Brick & Tile Co. was decided on March 9, 1981 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Thurgood Marshall 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
450 U.S. 311 · 101 S. Ct. 1124 · 67 L. Ed. 2d 258 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 48
Docket number
79-1336
Decided
March 9, 1981
Argued
December 9, 1980
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed and remanded
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
9–0 (unanimous)
Majority opinion
Thurgood Marshall
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue area
Federalism
Legal provision
Interstate Commerce Act
Type of law
Federal statute
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

Chicago & North Western Transportation Co. v. Kalo Brick & Tile Co.

SCDB identifiers: case 1980-052, docket 1980-052-01.

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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