Legal Services Corporation v. Carmen Velazquez
531 U.S. 533 · Decided February 28, 2001 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Legal Services Corporation v. Carmen Velazquez was decided on February 28, 2001 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 “First Amendment, miscellaneous” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 531 U.S. 533 · 121 S. Ct. 1043 · 149 L. Ed. 2d 63 · 2001 U.S. LEXIS 1954
- Docket number
- 99-603
- Decided
- February 28, 2001
- Argued
- October 4, 2000
- 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
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- First Amendment, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Legal Services Corporation v. Carmen Velazquez, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2000-028, docket 2000-028-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”
- Robert Shaw v. Kevin Murphy
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- Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System v. Scott Harold Southworth
- Republican Party of Minnesota v. Suzanne White
- Victoria Buckley v. American Constitutional Law Foundation, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Bartnicki v. VopperLaw held unconstitutional
- Good News Club v. Milford Central School
- Boy Scouts of America and Monmouth Council v. James DaleLaw held unconstitutional
- Leila Jeanne Hill v. Colorado
- City of Erie v. Pap's A. M.
- Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government Pac
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Robert Shaw v. Kevin Murphy
- Bartnicki v. VopperLaw held unconstitutional
- Good News Club v. Milford Central School
- United States and Department of Agriculture v. United Foods, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Federal Election Commission v. Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee
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