Jay Printz v. United States
521 U.S. 898 · Decided June 27, 1997 · 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
Jay Printz v. United States was decided on June 27, 1997 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “National supremacy, miscellaneous” in the Federalism area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 521 U.S. 898 · 117 S. Ct. 2365 · 138 L. Ed. 2d 914 · 1997 U.S. LEXIS 4044
- Docket number
- 95-1478
- Decided
- June 27, 1997
- Argued
- December 3, 1996
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- National supremacy, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 922
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Jay Printz, Sheriff/coroner, Ravalli County, Montana v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1996-095, docket 1996-095-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, miscellaneous”
- Seminole Tribe of Florida v. FloridaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Florida Prepaid Postsecondary Education Expense Board v. College Savings Bank and United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
- College Savings Bank v. Florida Prepaid Postsecondary Education Expense BoardAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- John H. Alden v. MaineLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Alfonso Lopez, Jr.Law held unconstitutional
- J. Daniel Kimel, Jr. v. Florida Board of RegentsLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: 18 U.S.C. § 922
- Gerald R. Caron v. United States
- Lenard Ray Beecham v. United States
- Gary Sherwood Small v. United States
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement v. Dillingham Construction, N. A., Inc.
- Barbara A. de Buono v. Nysa-Ila Medical and Clinical Services Fund, Etc.
- Sandra Jean Dale Boggs v. Thomas F. Boggs
- Marian Johnson v. Kristine L. Fankell
- United States of America v. State of Alaska
- Idaho v. Coeur D'Alene Tribe of Idaho, Etc.
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