Buck Doe v. Elaine L. Chao
540 U.S. 614 · Decided February 24, 2004 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Buck Doe v. Elaine L. Chao was decided on February 24, 2004 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice David H. Souter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Privacy” in the Privacy area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 540 U.S. 614 · 124 S. Ct. 1204 · 157 L. Ed. 2d 1122 · 2004 U.S. LEXIS 1622
- Docket number
- 02-1377
- Decided
- February 24, 2004
- Argued
- December 3, 2003
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- David H. Souter
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Privacy
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Legal provision
- 5 U.S.C. § 552
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Buck Doe v. Elaine L. Chao, Secretary of Labor
SCDB identifiers: case 2003-032, docket 2003-032-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Privacy”
- John Geddes Lawrence and Tyron Garner v. TexasAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Board of Education of Independent School District No. 92 of Pottawatomie County v. Lindsay Earls
- Gonzaga University and Roberta S. League v. John Doe
- Owasso Independent School District No. I-011 v. Kristja J. Falvo
- Jenifer Troxel v. Tommie GranvilleLaw held unconstitutional
- Walker L. Chandler v. Zell D. MillerLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Privacy)
- National Archives and Records Administration v. Allan J. Favish
- Intel Corporation v. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
- Richard B. Cheney v. United States District Court for the District of Columbia
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error