Mullins Coal Co., Inc. of Virginia, et al. v. Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, United States Department of Labor, et al.
Decided December 14, 1987. John Paul Stevens delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 86-327 · 484 U.S. 135 (1987) · Cited 364 times
Holding
Section 203(a) requires that the claimant establish at least one of the qualifying facts by a preponderance of the evidence.
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 6–2.
Majority · 6
- John Paul Stevens · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Antonin Scalia
- Byron Raymond White
- Harry Andrew Blackmun
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
Dissenting · 2
- Thurgood Marshall · filed a dissenting opinion
- 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.
- Bowles v. Seminole Rock & Sand Co. · 325 U.S. 410 (1945)
- Usery v. Turner Elkhorn Mining Co. · 428 U.S. 1 (1976)
- Motor Vehicle Mfrs. Assn. of United States, Inc. v. State Farm Mut. Automobile Ins. Co. · 463 U.S. 29 (1983)
- United States v. Nixon · 418 U.S. 683 (1974)
- County Court of Ulster Cty. v. Allen · 442 U.S. 140 (1979)
- Mobile, Jackson & Kansas City Railroad v. Turnipseed · 219 U.S. 35 (1910)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Kisor v. Wilkie · 588 U.S. 558 (2019)
- Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs v. Greenwich Collieries · 512 U.S. 267 (1994)
- Pittston Coal Group v. Sebben · 488 U.S. 105 (1988)
- Pauley v. BethEnergy Mines, Inc. · 501 U.S. 680 (1991)
- Martin v. Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission · 499 U.S. 144 (1991)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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John Paul Stevens’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1987). 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).