United States v. Alfonso Lopez, Jr.
514 U.S. 549 · Decided April 26, 1995 · 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
United States v. Alfonso Lopez, Jr. was decided on April 26, 1995 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 records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 514 U.S. 549 · 115 S. Ct. 1624 · 131 L. Ed. 2d 626 · 1995 U.S. LEXIS 3039
- Docket number
- 93-1260
- Decided
- April 26, 1995
- Argued
- November 8, 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
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- National supremacy, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 922
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- 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 | Concurrence | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
United States v. Alfonso Lopez, Jr.
SCDB identifiers: case 1994-051, docket 1994-051-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, miscellaneous”
- Seminole Tribe of Florida v. FloridaAltered precedentLaw 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: 18 U.S.C. § 922
- Lenard Ray Beecham v. United States
- Gerald R. Caron v. United States
- Gary Sherwood Small v. United States
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
- New York State Conference of Blue Cross & Blue Shield Plans v. Travelers Insurance Company
- U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Ray ThorntonLaw held unconstitutional
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