Washington State Department of Social and Health Services v. Guardianship Estate of Danny Keffeler
537 U.S. 371 · Decided February 25, 2003 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Washington State Department of Social and Health Services v. Guardianship Estate of Danny Keffeler was decided on February 25, 2003 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice David H. Souter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Juveniles” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 537 U.S. 371 · 123 S. Ct. 1017 · 154 L. Ed. 2d 972 · 2003 U.S. LEXIS 1735
- Docket number
- 01-1420
- Decided
- February 25, 2003
- Argued
- December 3, 2002
- 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
- David H. Souter
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Juveniles
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Social Security Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, et al. v. Guardianship Estate of Danny Keffeler et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2002-020, docket 2002-020-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Juveniles”
- Jacob Winkelman v. Parma City School District
- Timothy Mark Cameron Abbott v. Jacquelyn Vaye Abbott
- United States v. Juvenile Male
- Michael J. Astrue v. Karen K. Capato
- Jeffrey Lee Chafin v. Lynne Hales Chafin
- Carol Ankenbrandt v. Jon A. Richards and Debra Kesler
Cases on the same legal provision: Social Security Act
- Jo Anne B. Barnhart v. Pauline Thomas
- Gary E. Gisbrecht v. Jo Anne B. Barnhart
- Jo Anne B. Barnhart v. Cleveland B. Walton
- Juatassa Sims v. Kenneth S. Apfel
- Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research v. United States
- Sue Suter v. Artist M.
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Fredy Orlando Ventura
- Jo Anne B. Barnhart v. Peabody Coal Company
- David Meyer v. Emma Mary Ellen Holley
- United States v. White Mountain Apache Tribe
- United States v. Navajo Nation
- City of Cuyahoga Falls v. Buckeye Community Hope Foundation
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