Donna E. Shalala, Secretary of Health and Human Services v. Margaret Whitecotton et al.
Decided April 18, 1995. David Hackett Souter delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 94-372 · 514 U.S. 268 (1995) · Cited 193 times
Holding
A claimant who shows that she experienced symptoms of an injury after receiving a vaccination does not make out a prima facie case for compensation under the Act where the evidence fails to indicate that she had no symptoms of that injury before the vaccination.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 9–0.
Majority · 7
- David Hackett Souter · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy
- Antonin Scalia
- Clarence Thomas
- John Paul Stevens
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
Concurring · 2
- Sandra Day O'Connor · filed a concurring opinion
- Stephen Gerald Breyer
“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.
- Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare v. Davenport · 495 U.S. 552 (1990)
- Department of Revenue of Ore. v. ACF Industries, Inc. · 510 U.S. 332 (1994)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Sebelius v. Cloer · 569 U.S. 369 (2013)
- Bruesewitz v. Wyeth LLC · 562 U.S. 223 (2011)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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David Hackett Souter’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1995). 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).