Cite as: 525 U. S. 299 (1999)
Opinion of the Court
enacted by any State for the purpose of regulating the business of insurance." Ibid.7
The McCarran-Ferguson Act thus precludes application of a federal statute in face of state law "enacted . . . for the purpose of regulating the business of insurance," if the federal measure does not "specifically relat[e] to the business of insurance," and would "invalidate, impair, or supersede" the State's law. See Department of Treasury v. Fabe, 508 U. S. 491, 501 (1993). RICO is not a law that "specifically relates to the business of insurance." This case therefore turns on the question: Would RICO's application to the employee beneficiaries' claims at issue "invalidate, impair, or supersede" Nevada's laws regulating insurance?
The term "invalidate" ordinarily means "to render ineffective, generally without providing a replacement rule or law." Brief for United States as Amicus Curiae 17, n. 6 (citing Carter v. Virginia, 321 U. S. 131, 139 (1944) (Black, J., concurring)). And the term "supersede" ordinarily means "to displace (and thus render ineffective) while providing a substitute rule." Brief for United States as Amicus Curiae 17, n. 6 (citing Illinois Commerce Comm'n v. Thomson, 318 U. S. 675, 682 (1943)). Under these standard definitions, RICO's
7 Section 2(b) also provides that "after June 30, 1948, the Act of July 2, 1890, as amended, known as the Sherman Act, and the Act of October 15, 1914, as amended, known as the Clayton Act, and the Act of September 26, 1914, known as the Federal Trade Commission Act, as amended [15 U. S. C. 41 et seq.], shall be applicable to the business of insurance to the extent that such business is not regulated by State Law." 15 U. S. C. § 1012(b). Section 4 of the Act provides that "[n]othing contained in this chapter shall be construed to affect in any manner the application to the business of insurance of the Act of July 5, 1935, as amended, known as the National Labor Relations Act [29 U. S. C. 151 et seq.], or the Act of June 25, 1938, as amended, known as the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 [29 U. S. C. 201 et seq.], or the Act of June 5, 1920, known as the Merchant Marine Act, 1920 [46 App. U. S. C. 861 et seq.]." § 1014.
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