Thomas R. Phillips v. Washington Legal Foundation
524 U.S. 156 · Decided June 15, 1998 · 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
Thomas R. Phillips v. Washington Legal Foundation was decided on June 15, 1998 by a vote of 5–4. 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 “Due process, takings clause” in the Due Process area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 524 U.S. 156 · 118 S. Ct. 1925 · 141 L. Ed. 2d 174 · 1998 U.S. LEXIS 4003
- Docket number
- 96-1578
- Decided
- June 15, 1998
- Argued
- January 13, 1998
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, takings clause
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Thomas R. Phillips, et al. v. Washington Legal Foundation, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1997-083, docket 1997-083-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, takings clause”
- Eastern Enterprises v. Kenneth S. ApfelLaw held unconstitutional
- City of Monterey v. Del Monte Dunes at Monterey, Ltd.
- Bernadine Suitum v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
- Bruce Babbitt v. Marvin K. Youpee, Sr.Law held unconstitutional
- Tina B. Bennis v. Michigan
- Anthony Palazzolo v. Rhode Island
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
- Janice R. Lachance v. Lester E. Erickson, Jr.
- Ohio Adult Parole Authority v. Eugene Woodard
- Eastern Enterprises v. Kenneth S. ApfelLaw held unconstitutional
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