Federal Communications Commission v. AT&T Inc.
562 U.S. 397 · Decided March 1, 2011 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Federal Communications Commission v. AT&T Inc. was decided on March 1, 2011 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Freedom of Information Act and related laws” in the Privacy area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 562 U.S. 397 · 131 S. Ct. 1177 · 179 L. Ed. 2d 132 · 2011 U.S. LEXIS 1899
- Docket number
- 09-1279
- Decided
- March 1, 2011
- Argued
- January 19, 2011
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Freedom of Information Act and related laws
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Legal provision
- Freedom of Information, Sunshine, or Privacy Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority |
Did not participate: Elena Kagan.
Full case caption
Federal Communications Commission, et Al., Petitioners v. AT&T Inc. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2010-020, docket 2010-020-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Freedom of Information Act and related laws”
- Glen Scott Milner v. Department of the Navy
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration v. Robert M. Nelson
- Schindler Elevator Corporation v. United States ex Rel. Daniel Kirk
- John Doe #1 v. Sam Reed
- Mark J. McBurney v. Nathaniel L. Young
- Lawson v. FMR LLC
Cases on the same legal provision: Freedom of Information, Sunshine, or Privacy Act
Same Term, same area (Privacy)
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration v. Robert M. Nelson
- Glen Scott Milner v. Department of the Navy
- Schindler Elevator Corporation v. United States ex Rel. Daniel Kirk
- General Dynamics Corporation 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