Jo Anne B. Barnhart v. Peabody Coal Company
537 U.S. 149 · Decided January 15, 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
Jo Anne B. Barnhart v. Peabody Coal Company was decided on January 15, 2003 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice David H. Souter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 537 U.S. 149 · 123 S. Ct. 748 · 154 L. Ed. 2d 653 · 2003 U.S. LEXIS 752
- Docket number
- 01-705
- Decided
- January 15, 2003
- Argued
- October 8, 2002
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- David H. Souter
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 26 U.S.C. § 9701
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal 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 | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Jo Anne B. Barnhart, Commissioner of Social Security v. Peabody Coal Company et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2002-014, docket 2002-014-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits”
- Department of Housing and Urban Development v. Pearlie Rucker
- Jeffrey Allan Fischer v. United States
- Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services v. Heidi Ahlborn
- Eloise Anderson v. Verna Edwards, Etc.
- Henry G. Cisneros v. Alpine Ridge Group
- Louis W. Sullivan v. Elizabeth Stroop
Cases on the same legal provision: 26 U.S.C. § 9701
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Fredy Orlando Ventura
- David Meyer v. Emma Mary Ellen Holley
- Washington State Department of Social and Health Services v. Guardianship Estate of Danny Keffeler
- United States v. White Mountain Apache Tribe
- United States v. Navajo Nation
- City of Cuyahoga Falls v. Buckeye Community Hope Foundation
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