Tafflin v. Levitt
493 U.S. 455 · Decided January 22, 1990 · 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
Tafflin v. Levitt was decided on January 22, 1990 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 493 U.S. 455 · 110 S. Ct. 792 · 107 L. Ed. 2d 887 · 1990 U.S. LEXIS 568
- Docket number
- 88-1650
- Decided
- January 22, 1990
- Argued
- November 27, 1989
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Federalism
- 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 William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Tafflin et al. v. Levitt et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1989-025, docket 1989-025-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction”
- Yellow Freight System, Inc. v. Donnelly
- United Steelworkers of America v. Rawson
- Oklahoma Tax Commission v. Graham
- Lingle v. Norge Division of Magic Chef, Inc.
- Thomas Cipollone v. Liggett Group, Inc.
- Caterpillar Inc. v. Williams
Cases on the same legal provision: Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)
- H. J. Inc. v. Northwestern Bell Telephone Co.
- Robert G. Holmes, Jr. v. Securities Investor Protection Corporation
- Agency Holding Corp. v. Malley-Duff & Associates, Inc.
- Bob Reves v. Ernst & Young
- National Organization for Women, Inc., Etc. v. Joseph Scheidler
- Sedima, S.P.R.L. v. Imrex Co., Inc.
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Adams Fruit Co., Inc. v. Barrett
- Yellow Freight System, Inc. v. Donnelly
- United Steelworkers of America v. Rawson
- North Dakota v. United States
- California v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
- Vera M. English v. General Electric Company
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