Central Virginia Community College v. Bernard Katz
546 U.S. 356 · Decided January 23, 2006 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Central Virginia Community College v. Bernard Katz was decided on January 23, 2006 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “National supremacy, public utilities” in the Federalism area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 546 U.S. 356 · 126 S. Ct. 990 · 163 L. Ed. 2d 945 · 2006 U.S. LEXIS 917
- Docket number
- 04-885
- Decided
- January 23, 2006
- Argued
- October 31, 2005
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- National supremacy, public utilities
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 4 (bankruptcy clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Dissent |
Full case caption
Central Virginia Community College, et al. v. Bernard Katz, Liquidating Supervisor for Wallace's Bookstores, Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 2005-023, docket 2005-023-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, public utilities”
- Federal Maritime Commission v. South Carolina State Ports Authority
- Verizon Md. Inc. v. Public Service Comm'n of Md.
- Hughes v. PPL Energyplus
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission v. Mississippi
- Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen & Enginemen v. Chicago
- City of Tacoma v. Taxpayers of Tacoma
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 4 (bankruptcy clause)
- Siegel v. FitzgeraldLaw held unconstitutional
- Office of the U.S. Trustee v. John Q. Hammons Fall 2006, LLC
- Gardner v. New Jersey
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
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