General Electric Company v. Robert K. Joiner et Ux.
522 U.S. 136 · Decided December 15, 1997 · 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
General Electric Company v. Robert K. Joiner et Ux. was decided on December 15, 1997 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal rules of civil procedure” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 522 U.S. 136 · 118 S. Ct. 512 · 139 L. Ed. 2d 508 · 1997 U.S. LEXIS 7503
- Docket number
- 96-188
- Decided
- December 15, 1997
- Argued
- October 14, 1997
- Court era
- Rehnquist 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
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal rules of civil procedure
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Federal Rules of Evidence
- Type of law
- Court rules
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
General Electric Company, et al. v. Robert K. Joiner et Ux.
SCDB identifiers: case 1997-011, docket 1997-011-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal rules of civil procedure”
- Amchem Products, Inc. v. George Windsor
- Kumho Tire Company, Ltd. v. Patrick Carmichael, Etc.
- Carrie Jaffee v. Mary Lu Redmond
- Esteban Ortiz v. Fibreboard Corporation
- Lloyd Henderson v. United States
- Robert J. Devlin v. Robert A. Scardelletti
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Rules of Evidence
- Johnny Lynn Old Chief v. United States
- Maria Suzuki Ohler v. United States
- Fredel Williamson v. United States
- William Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
- United States v. Anthony Salerno
- United States v. Zolin
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Melvin Jefferson v. City of Tarrant
- City of Chicago v. International College of Surgeons
- George G. Rogers v. United States
- Regions Hospital v. Donna E. Shalala
- Mary Anna Rivet v. Regions Bank of Louisiana
- Randy G. Spencer v. Mike Kemna
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