Thomas Dalton v. Little Rock Family Planning Services
516 U.S. 474 · Decided March 18, 1996 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Thomas Dalton v. Little Rock Family Planning Services was decided on March 18, 1996 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 “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 516 U.S. 474 · 116 S. Ct. 1063 · 134 L. Ed. 2d 115 · 1996 U.S. LEXIS 1719
- Docket number
- 95-1025
- Decided
- March 18, 1996
- 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)
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Federalism
- 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
Thomas Dalton, Director, Arkansas Department of Human Services et al. v. Little Rock Family Planning Services et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1995-032, docket 1995-032-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- Barnett Bank of Marion County, N. A. v. Bill Nelson
- Doctor's Associates, Inc. and Nick Lombardi v. Paul Casarotto et Ux.
- New York State Conference of Blue Cross & Blue Shield Plans v. Travelers Insurance Company
- Freightliner Corporation v. Ben Myrick
- California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement v. Dillingham Construction, N. A., Inc.
- American Airlines, Inc. v. Myron Wolens
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- United States of America v. State of Maine
- Barnett Bank of Marion County, N. A. v. Bill Nelson
- Seminole Tribe of Florida v. FloridaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Doctor's Associates, Inc. and Nick Lombardi v. Paul Casarotto et Ux.
- Medtronic, Inc. v. Lora Lohr et Vir
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