Hencely v. Fluor Corp.
Decided April 22, 2026. Clarence Thomas delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 24-924 · 608 U.S. ___ (2026)
Holding
The Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit erred in finding Winston Hencely’s state-law tort claims preempted where the Federal Government neither ordered nor authorized Fluor Corporation’s challenged conduct.
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 6–3.
Majority · 6
- Clarence Thomas · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Sonia Sotomayor
- Elena Kagan
- Neil M. Gorsuch
- Amy Coney Barrett
- Ketanji Brown Jackson
Dissenting · 3
- John G. Roberts, Jr.
- Samuel A. Alito, Jr. · filed a dissenting opinion
- Brett M. Kavanaugh
“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).
Official text
Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)
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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2026). Data last verified 2026-08-15. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).