RJR Nabisco Inc. v. European Community
579 U.S. 325 · Decided June 20, 2016 · 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
RJR Nabisco Inc. v. European Community was decided on June 20, 2016 by a vote of 4–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Governmental liability” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 579 U.S. 325 · 136 S. Ct. 2090 · 195 L. Ed. 2d 476 · 2016 U.S. LEXIS 3925
- Docket number
- 15-138
- Decided
- June 20, 2016
- Argued
- March 21, 2016
- 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
- 4–3
- Majority opinion
- Samuel A. Alito Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Dissent |
Did not participate: Sonia Sotomayor.
Full case caption
RJR Nabisco Inc. v. European Community
SCDB identifiers: case 2015-050, docket 2015-050-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)
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- Yegiazaryan v. Smagin
- Edmund Boyle v. United States
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Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Obb Personenverkehr Ag v. Sachs
- Directv, Inc. v. Imburgia
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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