Kansas et al. v. Utilicorp United Inc.
Decided June 21, 1990. Anthony McLeod Kennedy delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 88-2109 · 497 U.S. 199 (1990) · Cited 222 times
Holding
When suppliers violate antitrust laws by overcharging a public utility for natural gas, and the utility passes on the overcharge to its customers, only the utility has a cause of action under 4 because it alone has suffered antitrust injury.
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 5–4.
Majority · 5
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Antonin Scalia
- John Paul Stevens
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
Dissenting · 4
- Byron Raymond White · filed a dissenting opinion
- Harry Andrew Blackmun
- Thurgood Marshall
- William Joseph Brennan Jr.
“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.
- Illinois Brick Co. v. Illinois · 431 U.S. 720 (1977)
- Hanover Shoe, Inc. v. United Shoe MacHinery Corp. · 392 U.S. 481 (1968)
- Blue Shield of Va. v. McCready · 457 U.S. 465 (1982)
- California v. ARC America Corp. · 490 U.S. 93 (1989)
- Bigelow v. RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. · 327 U.S. 251 (1946)
- Pfizer Inc. v. Government of India · 434 U.S. 308 (1978)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Apple, Inc. v. Pepper · 587 U.S. 273 (2019)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Anthony McLeod Kennedy’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1990). 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).