Norfolk Southern Railway Company v. Dedra Shanklin, Individually, and as Next Friend of Jessie Guy Shanklin
Decided April 17, 2000. Sandra Day O'Connor delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 99-312 · 529 U.S. 344 (2000) · Cited 215 times
Holding
The FRSA, in conjunction with 646.214(b)(3) and (4), pre-empts state tort claims concerning a railroad's failure to maintain adequate warning devices at crossings where federal funds have participated in the devices' installation.
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 7–2.
Majority · 6
- Sandra Day O'Connor · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy
- Antonin Scalia
- Clarence Thomas
- David Hackett Souter
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
Concurring · 1
- Stephen Gerald Breyer · filed a concurring opinion
Dissenting · 2
- John Paul Stevens
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg · filed a dissenting opinion
“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.
- CSX Transportation, Inc. v. Easterwood · 507 U.S. 658 (1993)
- Robertson v. Methow Valley Citizens Council · 490 U.S. 332 (1989)
- Maislin Industries, U. S., Inc. v. Primary Steel, Inc. · 497 U.S. 116 (1990)
- Lyng v. Payne · 476 U.S. 926 (1986)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
Explore from here
Sandra Day O'Connor’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2000). 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).