Lorillard Tobacco Company v. Thomas F. Reilly
533 U.S. 525 · Decided June 28, 2001 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Lorillard Tobacco Company v. Thomas F. Reilly was decided on June 28, 2001 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation” in the Federalism area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 533 U.S. 525 · 121 S. Ct. 2404 · 150 L. Ed. 2d 532 · 2001 U.S. LEXIS 4911
- Docket number
- 00-596
- Decided
- June 28, 2001
- Argued
- April 25, 2001
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 15 U.S.C. § 1334
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Concurrence | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent |
Full case caption
Lorillard Tobacco Company, et al. v. Thomas F. Reilly, Attorney General of Massachusetts, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2000-084, docket 2000-084-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- Donna Rae Egelhoff v. Samantha Egelhoff
- Buckman Company v. Plaintiffs' Legal Committee
- Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services v. Irene Blumer
- Rush Prudential HMO, Inc. v. Debra C. Moran
- City of Columbus v. Ours Garage and Wrecker Service, Inc.
- Alexis Geier v. American Honda Motor Company, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Buckman Company v. Plaintiffs' Legal Committee
- Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Patricia GarrettLaw held unconstitutional
- Donna Rae Egelhoff v. Samantha Egelhoff
- Arkansas v. Kenneth Andrew Sullivan
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