Pacificare Health Systems, Inc. v. Jeffrey Book
538 U.S. 401 · Decided April 7, 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
Pacificare Health Systems, Inc. v. Jeffrey Book was decided on April 7, 2003 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Election of remedies” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 538 U.S. 401 · 123 S. Ct. 1531 · 155 L. Ed. 2d 578 · 2003 U.S. LEXIS 2714
- Docket number
- 02-215
- Decided
- April 7, 2003
- Argued
- February 24, 2003
- Court era
- Rehnquist 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
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Election of remedies
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Did not participate: Clarence Thomas.
Full case caption
Pacificare Health Systems, Inc., et al. v. Jeffrey Book et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2002-040, docket 2002-040-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)
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Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
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- Karen Howsam, Etc. v. Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc.
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- Eric Eldred v. John D. Ashcroft
- Federal Communications Commission v. Nextwave Personal Communications Inc.
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