Michael J. Astrue v. Catherine G. Ratliff
560 U.S. 586 · Decided June 14, 2010 · 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
Michael J. Astrue v. Catherine G. Ratliff was decided on June 14, 2010 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Attorneys' and officials' fees, compensation, or licenses” in the Attorneys area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 560 U.S. 586 · 130 S. Ct. 2521 · 177 L. Ed. 2d 91 · 2010 U.S. LEXIS 4763
- Docket number
- 08-1322
- Decided
- June 14, 2010
- Argued
- February 22, 2010
- Court era
- Roberts 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
- Clarence Thomas
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Attorneys
- Legal provision
- Equal Access to Justice Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Concurrence | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security v. Catherine G. Ratliff
SCDB identifiers: case 2009-069, docket 2009-069-01.
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- Ricky D Fox v. Judy Ann Vice
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Cases on the same legal provision: Equal Access to Justice Act
Same Term, same area (Attorneys)
- Milavetz v. United States
- Sonny Perdue v. Kenny A.
- Bridget Hardt v. Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company
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