Guam v. United States
Decided May 24, 2021. Clarence Thomas delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 20-382 · 593 U.S. 310 (2021) · Cited 27 times
Holding
A settlement of environmental liabilities must resolve a specific liability under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to give rise to a contribution action under that Act.
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 · 9
- John G. Roberts, Jr.
- Clarence Thomas · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Samuel A. Alito, Jr.
- Sonia Sotomayor
- Elena Kagan
- Neil M. Gorsuch
- Brett M. Kavanaugh
- Amy Coney Barrett
- Stephen G. Breyer
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. The lineup is the syllabus’s disposition of who wrote and joined each opinion. Source: the opinion’s syllabus (supremecourt.gov).
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.
- United States v. Atlantic Research Corp. · 551 U.S. 128 (2007)
- Russello v. United States · 464 U.S. 16 (1983)
- Middlesex County Sewerage Authority v. National Sea Clammers Assn. · 453 U.S. 1 (1981)
- United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co. · 200 U.S. 321 (1906)
- Northwest Airlines, Inc. v. Transport Workers Union · 451 U.S. 77 (1981)
- Marx v. General Revenue Corp. · 568 U.S. 371 (2013)
- Cooper Industries, Inc. v. Aviall Services, Inc. · 543 U.S. 157 (2004)
- Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Co. v. United States · 556 U.S. 599 (2009)
- Entergy Corp. v. Riverkeeper, Inc. · 556 U.S. 208 (2009)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Campos-Chaves v. Garland · 602 U.S. 447 (2024)
Official text
Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)
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Clarence Thomas’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2021). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-08-15. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).