William Jefferson Clinton v. Paula Corbin Jones
520 U.S. 681 · Decided May 27, 1997 · 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
William Jefferson Clinton v. Paula Corbin Jones was decided on May 27, 1997 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Governmental liability” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 520 U.S. 681 · 117 S. Ct. 1636 · 137 L. Ed. 2d 945 · 1997 U.S. LEXIS 3254
- Docket number
- 95-1853
- Decided
- May 27, 1997
- Argued
- January 13, 1997
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Article I, Section 7, Paragraph 2 (separation of powers)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
William Jefferson Clinton v. Paula Corbin Jones
SCDB identifiers: case 1996-059, docket 1996-059-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- Regents of the University of California v. John Doe Etc.
- Daniel Bogan and Marilyn Roderick v. Janet Scott-Harris
- United States v. Winstar Corporation
- James Griffin Lane v. Federico F. Pena
- County of Sacramento v. Teri Lewis and Thomas Lewis
- Hercules Incorporated v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 7, Paragraph 2 (separation of powers)
- William J. Clinton v. City of New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Bowsher v. SynarLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- John W. Atherton, Jr. v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
- Ingalls Shipbuilding, Inc. v. Director
- General Motors Corporation v. Roger W. Tracy
- Regents of the University of California v. John Doe Etc.
- William C. Dunn and Delta Consultants, Inc. v. Commodity Futures Trading Commission
- Warner-Jenkinson Company, Inc. v. Hilton Davis Chemical Co.
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