Paul D. Lapides v. Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia
535 U.S. 613 · Decided May 13, 2002 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Paul D. Lapides v. Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia was decided on May 13, 2002 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “National supremacy, miscellaneous” in the Federalism area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 535 U.S. 613 · 122 S. Ct. 1640 · 152 L. Ed. 2d 806 · 2002 U.S. LEXIS 3220
- Docket number
- 01-298
- Decided
- May 13, 2002
- Argued
- February 25, 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Stephen G. Breyer
- 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
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Paul D. Lapides v. Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2001-047, docket 2001-047-01.
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Other cases on “National supremacy, miscellaneous”
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- Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Patricia GarrettLaw held unconstitutional
- Linda Frew v. Albert Hawkins
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- Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation v. Pamela L. Hood
- Basim Omar Sabri v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Eleventh Amendment
- Federal Maritime Commission v. South Carolina State Ports Authority
- Northern Insurance Company of New York v. Chatham County
- 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.
- Albert Hess and Charles F. Walsh v. Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services v. Irene Blumer
- Verizon Md. Inc. v. Public Service Comm'n of Md.
- Federal Maritime Commission v. South Carolina State Ports Authority
- Rush Prudential HMO, Inc. v. Debra C. Moran
- City of Columbus v. Ours Garage and Wrecker Service, 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