Thomas v. Washington Gas Light Co.
448 U.S. 261 · Decided June 27, 1980 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Thomas v. Washington Gas Light Co. was decided on June 27, 1980 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Election of remedies” in the Economic Activity area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 448 U.S. 261 · 100 S. Ct. 2647 · 65 L. Ed. 2d 757 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 54
- Docket number
- 79-116
- Decided
- June 27, 1980
- Argued
- March 19, 1980
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Election of remedies
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Article IV, Section 1 (full faith and credit clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Thomas v. Washington Gas Light Co. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-147, docket 1979-147-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Election of remedies”
- Sun Ship, Inc. v. Pennsylvania
- American Export Lines, Inc. v. Alvez
- Bloomer v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co.
- Potomac Electric Power Co. v. Director
- Rodriguez v. Compass Shipping Co., Ltd.
- Foremost Insurance Co. v. Richardson
Cases on the same legal provision: Article IV, Section 1 (full faith and credit clause)
- Allstate Insurance Co. v. Hague
- Underwriters National Assurance Co. v. North Carolina Life & Accident & Health Insurance Guaranty Assn.
- Sun Oil Co. v. Wortman
- Watkins v. Conway
- Simons v. Miami Beach First National Bank
- Aldrich v. Aldrich
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Transamerica Mortgage Advisors, Inc. v. Lewis
- P. C. Pfeiffer Co., Inc. v. Ford
- United States v. Kubrick
- Ferri v. Ackerman
- McLain v. Real Estate Board of New Orleans, Inc.
- Hatzlachh Supply Co., Inc. v. United States
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