United States v. Terry J. Hatter, Jr.
532 U.S. 557 · Decided May 21, 2001 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
United States v. Terry J. Hatter, Jr. was decided on May 21, 2001 by a vote of 5–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal taxation (Internal Revenue Code)” in the Federal Taxation 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
- 532 U.S. 557 · 121 S. Ct. 1782 · 149 L. Ed. 2d 820 · 2001 U.S. LEXIS 3813
- Docket number
- 99-1978
- Decided
- May 21, 2001
- Argued
- February 20, 2001
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–2
- Majority opinion
- Stephen G. Breyer
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal taxation (Internal Revenue Code)
- Issue area
- Federal Taxation
- Legal provision
- Article III, Section 1, Paragraph 2 (good behavior and compensation clause of federal judges)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: John Paul Stevens, Sandra Day O'Connor.
Full case caption
United States v. Terry J. Hatter, Jr., Judge, United States District Court for the Central District of California, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2000-053, docket 2000-053-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal taxation (Internal Revenue Code)”
- United Dominion Industries, Inc. v. United States
- United States v. Cleveland Indians Baseball Company
- David A. Gitlitz v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
- United States v. Sandra L. Craft
- United States v. Fior D'Italia, Inc.
- David H. Baral v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Article III, Section 1, Paragraph 2 (good behavior and compensation clause of federal judges)
- Northern Pipeline Construction Co. v. Marathon Pipe Line Co.Law held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Federal Taxation)
- David A. Gitlitz v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
- United States v. Cleveland Indians Baseball Company
- United Dominion Industries, Inc. v. United States
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