Nevada Department of Human Resources v. William Hibbs
538 U.S. 721 · Decided May 27, 2003 · 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
Nevada Department of Human Resources v. William Hibbs was decided on May 27, 2003 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “National supremacy, miscellaneous” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 538 U.S. 721 · 123 S. Ct. 1972 · 155 L. Ed. 2d 953 · 2003 U.S. LEXIS 4272
- Docket number
- 01-1368
- Decided
- May 27, 2003
- Argued
- January 15, 2003
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- National supremacy, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (enforcement clause)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Nevada Department of Human Resources, et al. v. William Hibbs et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2002-057, docket 2002-057-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, miscellaneous”
- Linda Frew v. Albert Hawkins
- Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation v. Pamela L. Hood
- Basim Omar Sabri v. United States
- Paul D. Lapides v. Board of Regents of the University System of GeorgiaAltered precedent
- Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Patricia GarrettLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Georgia
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (enforcement clause)
- City of Boerne v. P. F. FloresLaw held unconstitutional
- Daniel Coleman v. Court of Appeals of MarylandLaw held unconstitutional
- Trump v. Anderson
- Fitzpatrick v. Bitzer
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Rex R. Sprietsma v. Mercury Marine
- Kentucky Association of Health Plans, Inc. v. Janie A. Miller
- Entergy Louisiana, Inc. v. Louisiana Public Service Commission
- American Insurance Association v. John Garamendi
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