Warren Christopher v. Jennifer K. Harbury
536 U.S. 403 · Decided June 20, 2002 · 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
Warren Christopher v. Jennifer K. Harbury was decided on June 20, 2002 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice David H. Souter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Governmental liability” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 536 U.S. 403 · 122 S. Ct. 2179 · 153 L. Ed. 2d 413 · 2002 U.S. LEXIS 4647
- Docket number
- 01-394
- Decided
- June 20, 2002
- Argued
- March 18, 2002
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- David H. Souter
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Warren Christopher, Former Secretary of State, et al. v. Jennifer K. Harbury
SCDB identifiers: case 2001-072, docket 2001-072-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- Cook County v. United States ex Rel. Janet Chandler
- Donald Saucier v. Elliot M. Katz and in Defense of Animals
- Central Green Co. v. United States
- Jeff Groh v. Joseph R. Ramirez
- Rochelle Brosseau v. Kenneth J. Haugen
- George J. Tenet v. John Doe
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- TRW Inc. v. Adelaide Andrews
- J. E. M. Ag Supply, Inc. v. Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.
- Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company v. Janette Knudson and Eric Knudson
- Jo Anne B. Barnhart v. Sigmon Coal Company, Inc.
- Cornelius P. Young v. United States
- Verizon Communications Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission
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