Cook County v. United States ex Rel. Janet Chandler
538 U.S. 119 · Decided March 10, 2003 · 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
Cook County v. United States ex Rel. Janet Chandler was decided on March 10, 2003 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice David H. Souter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Governmental liability” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 538 U.S. 119 · 123 S. Ct. 1239 · 155 L. Ed. 2d 247 · 2003 U.S. LEXIS 1957
- Docket number
- 01-1572
- Decided
- March 10, 2003
- Argued
- January 14, 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- David H. Souter
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- False Claims Act
- Type of law
- Federal 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 | Majority | |
| 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Cook County, Illinois v. United States ex Rel. Janet Chandler
SCDB identifiers: case 2002-031, docket 2002-031-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- Warren Christopher v. Jennifer K. Harbury
- Jeff Groh v. Joseph R. Ramirez
- Donald Saucier v. Elliot M. Katz and in Defense of Animals
- Rochelle Brosseau v. Kenneth J. Haugen
- George J. Tenet v. John Doe
- Central Green Co. v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: False Claims Act
- Graham County Soil & Water Conservation District v. United States ex Rel. Karen T. Wilson
- Rockwell International Corp. v. United States
- Allison Engine Company, Inc. v. United States ex Rel. Roger L. Sanders and Roger L. Thacker
- Hughes Aircraft Company v. United States
- Universal Health Services, Inc. v. Escobar
- Cochise Consultancy Inc. v. U.S.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Yellow Transportation, Inc. v. Michigan
- Karen Howsam, Etc. v. Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc.
- Borden Ranch Partnership and Angelo K. Tsakopoulos v. United States Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency
- Pierce County v. Ignacio Guillen
- Eric Eldred v. John D. Ashcroft
- Federal Communications Commission v. Nextwave Personal Communications Inc.
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