Culbertson v. Berryhill
Decided January 8, 2019. Clarence Thomas delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 17-773 · 586 U.S. 53 (2019) · Cited 567 times
Holding
The Social Security Act’s fee cap of 25% of past-due benefits imposed on attorneys who successfully represent Title II benefit claimants in court proceedings applies only to fees for court representation and not to aggregate fees for both court and agency representation.
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.
Majority · 9
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. The lineup is the syllabus’s disposition of who wrote and joined each opinion. Source: the opinion’s syllabus (supremecourt.gov).
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.
- Gisbrecht v. Barnhart · 535 U.S. 789 (2002)
- Bowen v. Galbreath · 485 U.S. 74 (1988)
- United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co. · 200 U.S. 321 (1906)
- Maracich v. Spears · 570 U.S. 48 (2013)
- Puerto Rico v. Franklin California Tax-Free Trust · 579 U.S. 115 (2016)
Official text
Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)
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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2019). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-08-15. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).