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Karen Sutton and Kimberly Hinton v. United Air Lines, Inc.

527 U.S. 471 · Decided June 22, 1999 · 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

Karen Sutton and Kimberly Hinton v. United Air Lines, Inc. was decided on June 22, 1999 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Rights of handicapped persons” in the Civil Rights area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
527 U.S. 471 · 119 S. Ct. 2139 · 144 L. Ed. 2d 450 · 1999 U.S. LEXIS 4371
Docket number
97-1943
Decided
June 22, 1999
Argued
April 28, 1999
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Affirmed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
Vote
7–2
Majority opinion
Sandra Day O'Connor
Opinion assigned by
William H. Rehnquist
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue area
Civil Rights
Legal provision
Americans with Disabilities Act
Type of law
Federal statute
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Chief Justice William H. RehnquistMajority
Justice John Paul StevensDissentWrote an opinion
Justice Sandra Day O'ConnorMajorityWrote an opinion
Justice Antonin ScaliaMajority
Justice Anthony M. KennedyMajority
Justice David H. SouterMajority
Justice Clarence ThomasMajority
Justice Ruth Bader GinsburgConcurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Stephen G. BreyerDissentWrote an opinion

Full case caption

Karen Sutton and Kimberly Hinton v. United Air Lines, Inc.

SCDB identifiers: case 1998-083, docket 1998-083-01.

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Cases on the same legal provision: Americans with Disabilities Act

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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