National Aeronautics and Space Administration v. Robert M. Nelson
562 U.S. 134 · Decided January 19, 2011 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
National Aeronautics and Space Administration v. Robert M. Nelson was decided on January 19, 2011 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Samuel A. Alito 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. 134 · 131 S. Ct. 746 · 178 L. Ed. 2d 667 · 2011 U.S. LEXIS 911
- Docket number
- 09-530
- Decided
- January 19, 2011
- Argued
- October 5, 2010
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Samuel A. Alito 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
- Privacy Act of 1974, 5 USC 552
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority |
Did not participate: Elena Kagan.
Full case caption
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, et Al., Petitioners v. Robert M. Nelson et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2010-010, docket 2010-010-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Freedom of Information Act and related laws”
- Federal Communications Commission v. AT&T Inc.
- Glen Scott Milner v. Department of the Navy
- 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
Same Term, same area (Privacy)
- Federal Communications Commission v. AT&T Inc.
- 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