Northern Insurance Company of New York v. Chatham County, 547 U.S. 189 (2006), is a United States Supreme Court case addressing whether state counties enjoyed sovereign immunity from private lawsuits authorized by federal law. The case involved an admiralty claim by an insurer against Chatham County, Georgia for its negligent operation of a drawbridge. The Court ruled unanimously that the county had no basis for claiming immunity because it was not acting as an "arm of the state."
Except for per curiams, this was the first Supreme Court decision in which Justice Samuel Alito participated.
Read more about Northern Insurance Company Of New York V. Chatham County: Background, Opinion of The Court
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