Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy v. James W. Stewart III
563 U.S. 247 · Decided April 19, 2011 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy v. James W. Stewart III was decided on April 19, 2011 by a vote of 6–2. 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 “National supremacy, marital and family relationships” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 563 U.S. 247 · 131 S. Ct. 1632 · 179 L. Ed. 2d 675 · 2011 U.S. LEXIS 3186
- Docket number
- 09-529
- Decided
- April 19, 2011
- Argued
- December 1, 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
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- Antonin Scalia
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Eleventh Amendment
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority |
Did not participate: Elena Kagan.
Full case caption
Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy, Petitioner v. James W. Stewart III, Commissioner, Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2010-037, docket 2010-037-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, marital and family relationships”
- Daniel Coleman v. Court of Appeals of MarylandLaw held unconstitutional
- Rose v. Rose
- McCarty v. McCarty
- Hisquierdo v. Hisquierdo
- Yiatchos v. Yiatchos
- Free v. BlandLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Eleventh Amendment
- Northern Insurance Company of New York v. Chatham County
- Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation v. Pamela L. Hood
- Linda Frew v. Albert Hawkins
- Franchise Tax Board of California v. HyattAltered precedent
- Federal Maritime Commission v. South Carolina State Ports Authority
- Paul D. Lapides v. Board of Regents of the University System of GeorgiaAltered precedent
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Russel Bruesewitz Petitioners v. Wyeth LLC
- Delbert Williamson v. Mazda Motor of America, Inc.
- Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America v. Michael B. Whiting
- Keith Smith v. Bayer Corporation
- Plivia, Inc. v. Gladys Mensing
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