Cunningham v. Cornell Univ.

Decided April 17, 2025. Sonia Sotomayor delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 23-1007 · 604 U.S. 693 (2025) · Cited 33 times

Holding

To state a prohibited-transactions claim under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, see 29 U. S. C. §1106(a)(1)(C), a plaintiff need only plausibly allege the elements contained in that provision itself, without addressing potential §1108 exemptions.

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. 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.

• Meacham v. Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory · 554 U.S. 84 (2008)
• Crawford-El v. Britton · 523 U.S. 574 (1998)
• Harris Trust & Savings Bank v. Salomon Smith Barney Inc. · 530 U.S. 238 (2000)
• United States v. Cook · 84 U.S. 168 (1872)
• Taylor v. Sturgell · 553 U.S. 880 (2008)
• Varity Corp. v. Howe · 516 U.S. 489 (1996)
• Central States, Southeast & Southwest Areas Pension Fund v. Central Transport, Inc. · 472 U.S. 559 (1985)
• United States v. REESE · 92 U.S. 214 (1876)
• Dixon v. United States · 548 U.S. 1 (2006)
• Commissioner v. Keystone Consolidated Industries, Inc. · 508 U.S. 152 (1993)
• Dura Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Broudo · 544 U.S. 336 (2005)
• United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co. · 200 U.S. 321 (1906)
• United States v. Cruikshank · 92 U.S. 542 (1876)
• Schaffer Ex Rel. Schaffer v. Weast · 546 U.S. 49 (2005)
• Federal Trade Commission v. Morton Salt Co. · 334 U.S. 37 (1948)
• LaRue v. DeWolff, Boberg & Associates, Inc. · 552 U.S. 248 (2008)
• United States v. Vuitch · 402 U.S. 62 (1971)
• United States v. Britton · 107 U.S. 655 (1883)
• National Labor Relations Board v. Kentucky River Community Care, Inc. · 532 U.S. 706 (2001)

Official text

Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)

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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2025). 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).