Norfolk & Western Railway Company v. Freeman Ayers et al.
Decided March 10, 2003. Ruth Bader Ginsburg delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 01-963 · 538 U.S. 135 (2003) · Cited 204 times
Holding
Local governments are “persons” amenable to qui tam actions under the FCA.
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
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Antonin Scalia
- Clarence Thomas
- David Hackett Souter
- John Paul Stevens
Dissenting · 4
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy · filed a dissenting opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Stephen Gerald Breyer
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
“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.
- Consolidated Rail Corporation v. Gottshall · 512 U.S. 532 (1994)
- Metro-North Commuter Railroad v. Buckley · 521 U.S. 424 (1997)
- Ortiz v. Fibreboard Corp. · 527 U.S. 815 (1999)
- Rogers v. Missouri Pacific Railroad · 352 U.S. 500 (1957)
- Edmonds v. Compagnie Generale Transatlantique · 443 U.S. 256 (1979)
- Amchem Products, Inc. v. Windsor · 521 U.S. 591 (1997)
- Urie v. Thompson · 337 U.S. 163 (1949)
- Sinkler v. Missouri Pacific Railroad · 356 U.S. 326 (1958)
- Tennant v. Peoria & Pekin Union Railway Co. · 321 U.S. 29 (1944)
- Tiller v. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad · 318 U.S. 54 (1943)
- Brady v. Southern Railway Co. · 320 U.S. 476 (1944)
- Dice v. Akron, Canton & Youngstown Railroad · 342 U.S. 359 (1952)
- The Employers'liability Cases · 207 U.S. 463 (1908)
- Monessen Southwestern Railway Co. v. Morgan · 486 U.S. 330 (1988)
- Miller v. Union Pacific R. Co. · 290 U.S. 227 (1933)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Norfolk Southern Railway Co. v. Sorrell · 549 U.S. 158 (2007)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2003). 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).