Overview
- Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the opinion in Galette v. New Jersey Transit Corporation, holding NJ Transit is not an arm of the state.
- The ruling affirms New York’s decision allowing Jeffrey Colt’s case to proceed and reverses Pennsylvania’s dismissal of Cedric Galette’s suit, with both cases remanded.
- The Court emphasized NJ Transit’s corporate form, its responsibility for its own judgments, and the limited effect of state oversight in the arm‑of‑the‑state analysis.
- The justices rejected giving dispositive weight to labels such as “instrumentality of the State,” and noted legislatures can revise statutes if they intend to assume entities’ liabilities.
- A 2025 emergency stay that paused a New York trial will now be resolved under the Court’s mandate, clearing the path for negligence claims against NJ Transit in out‑of‑state courts.