John H. Alden v. Maine
527 U.S. 706 · Decided June 23, 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
John H. Alden v. Maine was decided on June 23, 1999 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy 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
- 527 U.S. 706 · 119 S. Ct. 2240 · 144 L. Ed. 2d 636 · 1999 U.S. LEXIS 4374
- Docket number
- 98-436
- Decided
- June 23, 1999
- Argued
- March 31, 1999
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- National supremacy, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Eleventh Amendment
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- 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 | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent |
Full case caption
John H. Alden, et al. v. Maine
SCDB identifiers: case 1998-091, docket 1998-091-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, miscellaneous”
- 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
- J. Daniel Kimel, Jr. v. Florida Board of RegentsLaw held unconstitutional
- Janet Reno v. Charlie Condon
- United States v. Antonio J. MorrisonLaw held unconstitutional
- Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Patricia GarrettLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Eleventh Amendment
- California and State Lands Commission v. Deep Sea Research, Inc.
- Idaho v. Coeur D'Alene Tribe of Idaho, Etc.
- Regents of the University of California v. John Doe Etc.
- Federal Maritime Commission v. South Carolina State Ports Authority
- Albert Hess and Charles F. Walsh v. Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation
- Northern Insurance Company of New York v. Chatham County
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Humana Inc. v. Mary Forsyth
- Arizona Department of Revenue v. Blaze Construction Company, Inc.
- Jefferson County v. William M. Acker, Jr.
- 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
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