California Public Employees' Retirement System v. Paul Felzen
525 U.S. 315 · Decided January 20, 1999 · 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
California Public Employees' Retirement System v. Paul Felzen was decided on January 20, 1999 by a vote of 4–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The Justices were equally divided, which leaves the lower court's judgment in place without setting precedent.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 525 U.S. 315 · 119 S. Ct. 720 · 142 L. Ed. 2d 766 · 1999 U.S. LEXIS 747
- Docket number
- 97-1732
- Decided
- January 20, 1999
- Argued
- January 11, 1999
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Equally divided vote
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 4–4
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Equally divided vote |
Did not participate: Sandra Day O'Connor.
Full case caption
California Public Employees' Retirement System, et al. v. Paul Felzen et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1998-018, docket 1998-018-01.
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