United States Department of State v. Legal Assistance for Vietnamese Asylum Seekers, Inc.
519 U.S. 1 · Decided October 21, 1996 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
United States Department of State v. Legal Assistance for Vietnamese Asylum Seekers, Inc. was decided on October 21, 1996 unanimously (9–0). The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Immigration, welfare benefits” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 519 U.S. 1 · 117 S. Ct. 378 · 136 L. Ed. 2d 1 · 1996 U.S. LEXIS 6557
- Docket number
- 95-1521
- Decided
- October 21, 1996
- Argued
- October 15, 1996
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Immigration, welfare benefits
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Immigration and Nationality statutes
- 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 | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
United States Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, et al. v. Legal Assistance for Vietnamese Asylum Seekers, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1996-001, docket 1996-001-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Immigration, welfare benefits”
- Mathews v. Diaz
- Graham v. RichardsonLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Immigration and Nationality statutes
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Yueh-Shaio Yang
- Lorelyn Penero Miller v. Madeleine K. Albright
- Marvin Stone v. Immigration and Naturalization Service
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Juan Anibal Aguirre-Aguirre
- Chris Sale v. Haitian Centers Council, Inc.
- Janet Reno v. Catholic Social Services, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Vicky M. Lopez v. Monterey County
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Yueh-Shaio Yang
- In re Maria Luisa Costell Gaydos
- M. L. B. v. S. L. J.Law held unconstitutional
- Darlene Walters v. Metropolitan Educational Enterprises, Inc.
- Charles T. Robinson, Sr. v. Shell Oil 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