Seminole Tribe of Florida v. Florida
517 U.S. 44 · Decided March 27, 1996 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Seminole Tribe of Florida v. Florida was decided on March 27, 1996 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist 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. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 517 U.S. 44 · 116 S. Ct. 1114 · 134 L. Ed. 2d 252 · 1996 U.S. LEXIS 2165
- Docket number
- 94-12
- Decided
- March 27, 1996
- Argued
- October 11, 1995
- 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
- William H. Rehnquist
- 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
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| 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
Seminole Tribe of Florida v. Florida et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1995-037, docket 1995-037-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, miscellaneous”
- United States v. Alfonso Lopez, Jr.Law held unconstitutional
- Jay Printz v. United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
- 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
- John H. Alden v. MaineLaw held unconstitutional
- J. Daniel Kimel, Jr. v. Florida Board of RegentsLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Eleventh Amendment
- Regents of the University of California v. John Doe Etc.
- Idaho v. Coeur D'Alene Tribe of Idaho, Etc.
- Albert Hess and Charles F. Walsh v. Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation
- California and State Lands Commission v. Deep Sea Research, Inc.
- Edgar Blatchford v. Native Village of Noatak and Circle Village
- McKesson Corporation v. Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- United States of America v. State of Maine
- Thomas Dalton v. Little Rock Family Planning Services
- Barnett Bank of Marion County, N. A. v. Bill Nelson
- Doctor's Associates, Inc. and Nick Lombardi v. Paul Casarotto et Ux.
- Medtronic, Inc. v. Lora Lohr et Vir
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