Allen v. Cooper
140 S. Ct. 994 · Decided March 23, 2020 · 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
Allen v. Cooper was decided on March 23, 2020 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Elena Kagan 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
- CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
- Supreme Court of the United States — slip opinions, October Term 2019
- Supreme Court of the United States — docket 18-877
Case details
- Citations
- 140 S. Ct. 994 · 206 L. Ed. 2d 291 · 2020 U.S. LEXIS 1909
- Docket number
- 18-877
- Decided
- March 23, 2020
- Argued
- November 5, 2019
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Elena Kagan
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- National supremacy, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Copyright Remedy Clarification Act, 17 U.S.C. 511
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Neil M. Gorsuch | Majority | |
| Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh | Majority |
Full case caption
Allen v. Cooper
SCDB identifiers: case 2019-012, docket 2019-012-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, miscellaneous”
- Parker Drilling Management Services, Ltd. v. Newton
- United States v. Texas
- Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic AssociationLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. WashingtonLaw held unconstitutional
- Doe v. Dynamic Physical Therapy
- National Federation of Independent Business v. Kathleen Sebelius
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Juan v. Feliciano
- Kansas v. Garcia
- Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico v. Aurelius Investment, LLC
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