John W. Behrens v. Robert J. Pelletier
516 U.S. 299 · Decided February 21, 1996 · 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
John W. Behrens v. Robert J. Pelletier was decided on February 21, 1996 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Jurisdiction of federal courts of appeals” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 516 U.S. 299 · 116 S. Ct. 834 · 133 L. Ed. 2d 773 · 1996 U.S. LEXIS 1381
- Docket number
- 94-1244
- Decided
- February 21, 1996
- Argued
- November 7, 1995
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Jurisdiction of federal courts of appeals
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 1291
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- 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 | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
John W. Behrens v. Robert J. Pelletier
SCDB identifiers: case 1995-022, docket 1995-022-01.
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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