Sao Paulo State of the Federative Republic of Brazil v. American Tobacco Co., Inc.
535 U.S. 229 · Decided April 1, 2002 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Sao Paulo State of the Federative Republic of Brazil v. American Tobacco Co., Inc. was decided on April 1, 2002 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, impartial decision maker” in the Due Process area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 535 U.S. 229 · 122 S. Ct. 1290 · 152 L. Ed. 2d 346 · 2002 U.S. LEXIS 2340
- Docket number
- 01-835
- Decided
- April 1, 2002
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, impartial decision maker
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 455
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated 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 | Majority | |
| 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Sao Paulo State of the Federative Republic of Brazil v. American Tobacco Co., Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2001-037, docket 2001-037-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 455
- United States v. WillLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
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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