Federal Communications Commission v. Nextwave Personal Communications Inc. et al.
Decided January 27, 2003. Antonin Scalia delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 01-653 · 537 U.S. 293 (2003) · Cited 214 times
Holding
Section 525 prohibits the FCC from revoking licenses held by a bankruptcy debtor upon the debtor’s failure to make timely payments to the FCC for purchase of the licenses.
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 8–1.
Majority · 7
- Antonin Scalia · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy
- Clarence Thomas
- David Hackett Souter
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
Concurring · 1
- John Paul Stevens · filed a concurring opinion
Dissenting · 1
- Stephen Gerald Breyer · filed a dissenting opinion
“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.
- Perez. v. Campbell · 402 U.S. 637 (1971)
- United States v. Kirby · 74 U.S. 482 (1869)
- Ohio v. Kovacs · 469 U.S. 274 (1985)
- Farrey v. Sanderfoot · 500 U.S. 291 (1991)
- Citizens to Preserve Overton Park, Inc. v. Volpe · 401 U.S. 402 (1971)
- Grogan v. Garner · 498 U.S. 279 (1991)
- Morton v. Mancari · 417 U.S. 535 (1974)
- United States v. Nordic Village, Inc. · 503 U.S. 30 (1992)
- Staples v. United States · 511 U.S. 600 (1994)
- Johnson v. Home State Bank · 501 U.S. 78 (1991)
- Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare v. Davenport · 495 U.S. 552 (1990)
- J. E. M. Ag Supply, Inc. v. Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. · 534 U.S. 124 (2001)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Travelers Casualty & Surety Co. of America v. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. · 549 U.S. 443 (2007)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Antonin Scalia’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2003). 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).