U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Ray Thornton
514 U.S. 779 · Decided May 22, 1995 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Ray Thornton was decided on May 22, 1995 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Miscellaneous federalism” in the Federalism area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 514 U.S. 779 · 115 S. Ct. 1842 · 131 L. Ed. 2d 881 · 1995 U.S. LEXIS 3487
- Docket number
- 93-1456
- Decided
- May 22, 1995
- Argued
- November 29, 1994
- 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
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Miscellaneous federalism
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Article I, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (composition of the House of Representatives)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
U.S. Term Limits, Inc., et al. v. Ray Thornton et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1994-059, docket 1994-059-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Miscellaneous federalism”
- United States v. Texas
- Rudy Perpich v. Department of Defense
- Arkansas v. Kenneth Andrew Sullivan
- West Virginia v. United States
- Bennett v. New Jersey
- Bennett v. Kentucky Department of Education
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (composition of the House of Representatives)
- Richard Vieth v. Robert C. Jubelirer
- Karcher v. DaggettLaw held unconstitutional
- White v. WeiserLaw held unconstitutional
- Kirkpatrick v. PreislerLaw held unconstitutional
- Wells v. RockefellerLaw held unconstitutional
- Wesberry v. SandersAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Nebraska Department of Revenue v. John Loewenstein
- American Airlines, Inc. v. Myron Wolens
- Allied-Bruce Terminix Companies, Inc. v. G. Michael Dobson
- Freightliner Corporation v. Ben Myrick
- United States v. Alfonso Lopez, Jr.Law held unconstitutional
- New York State Conference of Blue Cross & Blue Shield Plans v. Travelers Insurance Company
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