Andrew J. Kontrick v. Robert a. Ryan

Decided January 14, 2004. Ruth Bader Ginsburg delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 02-819 · 540 U.S. 443 (2004) · Cited 1,543 times

Holding

A debtor forfeits the right to rely on Rule 4004 if the debtor does not raise the Rule’s time limitation before the bankruptcy court reaches the merits of the creditor’s objection to discharge.

The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.

How the Justices voted

Decided 9–0.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.

Precedents cited

Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.

• Carlisle v. United States · 517 U.S. 416 (1996)
• United States v. Robinson · 361 U.S. 220 (1960)
• Taylor v. Freeland & Kronz · 503 U.S. 638 (1992)
• United States v. Olano · 507 U.S. 725 (1993)
• Johnson v. Zerbst · 304 U.S. 458 (1938)
• Steel Co. v. Citizens for a Better Environment · 523 U.S. 83 (1998)
• Owen Equipment & Erection Co. v. Kroger · 437 U.S. 365 (1978)
• Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railway Co. v. Swan · 111 U.S. 379 (1884)
• Schacht v. United States · 398 U.S. 58 (1970)
• Capron v. Van Noorden · 6 U.S. 126 (1804)
• Des Moines Navigation & Railroad v. Iowa Homestead Co. · 123 U.S. 552 (1887)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• Bowles v. Russell · 551 U.S. 205 (2007)
• Eberhart v. United States · 546 U.S. 12 (2005)
• Fort Bend County v. Davis · 587 U.S. 541 (2019)
• Grupo Dataflux v. Atlas Global Group, L. P. · 541 U.S. 567 (2004)
• Santos-Zacaria v. Garland · 598 U.S. 411 (2023)
• Nutraceutical Corp. v. Lambert · 586 U.S. 188 (2019)
• Arbaugh v. Y & H Corp. · 546 U.S. 500 (2006)
• Henderson v. Shinseki · 562 U.S. 428 (2011)
• Greenlaw v. United States · 554 U.S. 237 (2008)
• Manrique v. United States · 581 U.S. 116 (2017)
• Day v. McDonough · 547 U.S. 198 (2006)
• Scarborough v. Principi · 541 U.S. 401 (2004)
• Wood v. Milyard · 566 U.S. 463 (2012)
• Sebelius v. Auburn Regional Medical Center · 568 U.S. 145 (2013)
• Union Pacific R. Co. v. Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen Gen. Comm. of Adjustment, Central Region · 558 U.S. 67 (2009)
• Kircher v. Putnam Funds Trust · 547 U.S. 633 (2006)
• Rumsfeld v. Padilla · 542 U.S. 426 (2004)
• United Student Aid Funds, Inc. v. Espinosa · 559 U.S. 260 (2010)
• Hibbs v. Winn · 542 U.S. 88 (2004)
• Travelers Indemnity Co. v. Bailey · 557 U.S. 137 (2009)
• Boechler v. Commissioner · 596 U.S. 199 (2022)
• Harrow v. Department of Defense · 601 U.S. 480 (2024)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2004). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).