Department of Commerce v. United States House of Representatives
525 U.S. 316 · Decided January 25, 1999 · 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
Department of Commerce v. United States House of Representatives was decided on January 25, 1999 by a vote of 6–3. SCDB codes the disposition as “petition denied or appeal dismissed.” Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Miscellaneous” in the Miscellaneous area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 525 U.S. 316 · 119 S. Ct. 765 · 142 L. Ed. 2d 797 · 1999 U.S. LEXIS 902
- Docket number
- 98-404
- Decided
- January 25, 1999
- Argued
- November 30, 1998
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Petition denied or appeal dismissed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Miscellaneous
- Legal provision
- 13 U.S.C. § 1
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Unspecifiable what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Department of Commerce, et al. v. United States House of Representatives et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1998-019, docket 1998-019-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Miscellaneous”
- William J. Clinton v. City of New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Ed Plaut v. Spendthrift Farm, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Thomas Freytag v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
- Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority v. Citizens for the Abatement of Aircraft Noise, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- United States v. Stuart
- Mistretta v. United States
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