United States Department of Labor v. Triplett
494 U.S. 715 · Decided March 27, 1990 · 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
United States Department of Labor v. Triplett was decided on March 27, 1990 unanimously (9–0). 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 “Attorneys' and officials' fees, compensation, or licenses” in the Attorneys area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 494 U.S. 715 · 110 S. Ct. 1428 · 108 L. Ed. 2d 701 · 1990 U.S. LEXIS 1666
- Docket number
- 88-1671
- Decided
- March 27, 1990
- Argued
- January 16, 1990
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Attorneys
- Legal provision
- Article III, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (case or controversy requirement)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
United States Department of Labor v. Triplett et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1989-056, docket 1989-056-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Attorneys' and officials' fees, compensation, or licenses”
- Venegas v. Mitchell
- Commissioner v. Marie Lucie Jean
- Independent Federation of Flight Attendants v. Zipes
- Missouri v. Jenkins
- Sullivan v. Hudson
- In re Berger
Cases on the same legal provision: Article III, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (case or controversy requirement)
- Washington v. Walter Harper
- Whitmore v. Arkansas
- United States v. Montalvo-Murillo
- Holland v. Illinois
- Fw/pbs, Inc. v. City of DallasLaw held unconstitutional
- Franchise Tax Board of California v. Alcan Aluminium Ltd.
Same Term, same area (Attorneys)
- Venegas v. Mitchell
- Gary E. Peel v. Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of IllinoisLaw held unconstitutional
- Commissioner v. Marie Lucie Jean
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