Waldemar Ratzlaf and Loretta Ratzlaf v. United States
510 U.S. 135 · Decided January 11, 1994 · 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
Waldemar Ratzlaf and Loretta Ratzlaf v. United States was decided on January 11, 1994 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Statutory construction of criminal laws, internal revenue” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 510 U.S. 135 · 114 S. Ct. 655 · 126 L. Ed. 2d 615 · 1994 U.S. LEXIS 936
- Docket number
- 92-1196
- Decided
- January 11, 1994
- Argued
- November 1, 1993
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 31 U.S.C. § 5322
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Waldemar Ratzlaf and Loretta Ratzlaf v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1993-012, docket 1993-012-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Statutory construction of criminal laws, internal revenue”
- John L. Cheek v. United States
- Standefer v. United States
- Michael H. Boulware v. United States
- Marinello v. United States
- United States v. Habig
- Lopez v. United States
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Jimmie Burden, Jr. v. Walter Zant
- Thomas Schiro v. Robert Farley
- Paul Caspari v. Christopher Bohlen
- Clarence Victor v. Nebraska
- United States v. Ralph Stuart Granderson, Jr.
- Kitrich Powell v. Nevada
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