Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company v. Michael Buckley
521 U.S. 424 · Decided June 23, 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
Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company v. Michael Buckley was decided on June 23, 1997 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Election of remedies” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 521 U.S. 424 · 117 S. Ct. 2113 · 138 L. Ed. 2d 560 · 1997 U.S. LEXIS 3867
- Docket number
- 96-320
- Decided
- June 23, 1997
- Argued
- February 18, 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Stephen G. Breyer
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Election of remedies
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Federal Employers' Liability Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| 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 | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company v. Michael Buckley
SCDB identifiers: case 1996-085, docket 1996-085-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Employers' Liability Act
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Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- John W. Atherton, Jr. v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
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- General Motors Corporation v. Roger W. Tracy
- Regents of the University of California v. John Doe Etc.
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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