Matt T. Kokkonen v. Guardian Life Insurance Company of America
511 U.S. 375 · Decided May 16, 1994 · 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
Matt T. Kokkonen v. Guardian Life Insurance Company of America was decided on May 16, 1994 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Jurisdiction of federal district or territorial courts” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 511 U.S. 375 · 114 S. Ct. 1673 · 128 L. Ed. 2d 391 · 1994 U.S. LEXIS 3767
- Docket number
- 93-263
- Decided
- May 16, 1994
- Argued
- March 1, 1994
- 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
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority |
Full case caption
Matt T. Kokkonen v. Guardian Life Insurance Company of America
SCDB identifiers: case 1993-047, docket 1993-047-01.
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Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
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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