Browning-Ferris Industries of Vermont, Inc., et al. v. Kelco Disposal, Inc., et al.

Decided June 26, 1989. Harry Andrew Blackmun delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 88-556 · 492 U.S. 257 (1989) · Cited 1,060 times

We don’t yet publish a summary of this opinion — read the official text below for the Court’s holding and reasoning.

How the Justices voted

Decided 7–2.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.

Precedents cited

Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.

• Ingraham v. Wright · 430 U.S. 651 (1977)
• United States v. Halper · 490 U.S. 435 (1989)
• Solem v. Helm · 463 U.S. 277 (1983)
• Missouri Pacific Railway Co. v. Humes · 115 U.S. 512 (1885)
• Carlson v. Landon · 342 U.S. 524 (1952)
• Bankers Life & Casualty Co. v. Crenshaw · 486 U.S. 71 (1988)
• St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway Co. v. Williams · 251 U.S. 63 (1919)
• Robinson v. California · 370 U.S. 660 (1962)
• Kennedy v. Mendoza-Martinez · 372 U.S. 144 (1963)
• First Nat. Bank of Boston v. Bellotti · 435 U.S. 765 (1978)
• O'Neil v. Vermont · 144 U.S. 323 (1892)
• Wolff v. McDonnell · 418 U.S. 539 (1974)
• Daniels v. Williams · 474 U.S. 327 (1986)
• Helicopteros Nacionales De Colombia, S. A. v. Hall · 466 U.S. 408 (1984)
• United States v. Salerno · 481 U.S. 739 (1987)
• Lugar v. Edmondson Oil Co. · 457 U.S. 922 (1982)
• Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc. · 418 U.S. 323 (1974)
• Dandridge v. Williams · 397 U.S. 471 (1970)
• Penn Central Transportation Co. v. New York City · 438 U.S. 104 (1978)
• Tumey v. Ohio · 273 U.S. 510 (1927)
• Virginia State Board of Pharmacy v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, Inc. · 425 U.S. 748 (1976)
• Smith v. Wade · 461 U.S. 30 (1983)
• Trop v. Dulles · 356 U.S. 86 (1958)
• City of Newport v. Fact Concerts, Inc. · 453 U.S. 247 (1981)
• City of Revere v. Massachusetts General Hospital · 463 U.S. 239 (1983)
• United States v. Martin Linen Supply Co. · 430 U.S. 564 (1977)
• Marshall v. Barlow's, Inc. · 436 U.S. 307 (1978)
• Lochner v. New York · 198 U.S. 45 (1905)
• Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee Corp. · 464 U.S. 238 (1984)
• Memphis Community School District v. Stachura · 477 U.S. 299 (1986)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• Pacific Mutual Life Insurance v. Haslip · 499 U.S. 1 (1991)
• Gasperini v. Center for Humanities, Inc. · 518 U.S. 415 (1996)
• Austin v. United States · 509 U.S. 602 (1993)
• Cooper Industries, Inc. v. Leatherman Tool Group, Inc. · 532 U.S. 424 (2001)
• Timbs v. Indiana · 586 U.S. 146 (2019)
• Philip Morris USA v. Williams · 549 U.S. 346 (2007)
• BMW of North America, Inc. v. Gore · 517 U.S. 559 (1996)
• United States v. Bajakajian · 524 U.S. 321 (1998)
• TXO Production Corp. v. Alliance Resources Corp. · 509 U.S. 443 (1993)
• Harmelin v. Michigan · 501 U.S. 957 (1991)
• State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance v. Campbell · 538 U.S. 408 (2003)
• Board of Comm'rs, Wabaunsee Cty. v. Umbehr · 518 U.S. 668 (1996)
• Alexander v. United States · 509 U.S. 544 (1993)
• Cooter & Gell v. Hartmarx Corp. · 496 U.S. 384 (1990)
• Kansas v. Hendricks · 521 U.S. 346 (1997)
• McDonald v. City of Chicago · 561 U.S. 742 (2010)
• United States v. Ursery · 518 U.S. 267 (1996)
• Department of Revenue of Mont. v. Kurth Ranch · 511 U.S. 767 (1994)
• Bray v. Alexandria Women's Health Clinic · 506 U.S. 263 (1993)
• Chauffeurs, Teamsters & Helpers Local No. 391 v. Terry · 494 U.S. 558 (1990)
• Honda Motor Co. v. Oberg · 512 U.S. 415 (1994)
• Molzof v. United States · 502 U.S. 301 (1992)
• Southern Union Co. v. United States · 567 U.S. 343 (2012)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

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Source: the U.S. Reports via govinfo.gov; authoring Justice and vote lineup from the Supreme Court Database (Washington University). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).