Hugh M. Caperton v. A. T. Massey Coal Company, Inc.
556 U.S. 868 · Decided June 8, 2009 · 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
Hugh M. Caperton v. A. T. Massey Coal Company, Inc. was decided on June 8, 2009 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, impartial decision maker” in the Due Process area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 556 U.S. 868 · 129 S. Ct. 2252 · 173 L. Ed. 2d 1208 · 2009 U.S. LEXIS 4157
- Docket number
- 08-22
- Decided
- June 8, 2009
- Argued
- March 3, 2009
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, impartial decision maker
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Dissent |
Full case caption
Hugh M. Caperton, et al. v. A. T. Massey Coal Company, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2008-064, docket 2008-064-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
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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