Irving Rust, et al. v. Sullivan, Louis W., Secretary of Health and Human Services

Decided May 23, 1991. William Hubbs Rehnquist delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 89-1391 · 500 U.S. 173 (1991) · Cited 1,298 times

We don’t yet publish a summary of this opinion — read the official text below for the Court’s holding and reasoning.

How the Justices voted

Decided 5–4.

“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.

• Regan v. Taxation With Representation of Washington · 461 U.S. 540 (1983)
• Harris v. McRae · 448 U.S. 297 (1980)
• Webster v. Reproductive Health Services · 492 U.S. 490 (1989)
• Chevron U. S. A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. · 467 U.S. 837 (1984)
• Maher v. Roe · 432 U.S. 464 (1977)
• City of Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, Inc. · 462 U.S. 416 (1983)
• Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists · 476 U.S. 747 (1986)
• Federal Communications Commission v. League of Women Voters of California · 468 U.S. 364 (1984)
• Roe v. Wade · 410 U.S. 113 (1973)
• Edward J. DeBartolo Corp. v. Florida Gulf Coast Building & Construction Trades Council · 485 U.S. 568 (1988)
• Motor Vehicle Mfrs. Assn. of United States, Inc. v. State Farm Mut. Automobile Ins. Co. · 463 U.S. 29 (1983)
• Perry v. Sindermann · 408 U.S. 593 (1972)
• Hooper v. California · 155 U.S. 648 (1895)
• Cammarano v. United States · 358 U.S. 498 (1959)
• Speiser v. Randall · 357 U.S. 513 (1958)
• National Labor Relations Board v. Catholic Bishop · 440 U.S. 490 (1979)
• Arkansas Writers' Project, Inc. v. Ragland · 481 U.S. 221 (1987)
• Blodgett v. Holden · 275 U.S. 142 (1927)
• Buckley v. Valeo · 424 U.S. 1 (1976)
• Rankin v. McPherson · 483 U.S. 378 (1987)
• Keyishian v. Board of Regents of Univ. of State of NY · 385 U.S. 589 (1967)
• Wooley v. Maynard · 430 U.S. 705 (1977)
• Abood v. Detroit Board of Education · 431 U.S. 209 (1977)
• Consolidated Edison Co. of New York v. Public Service Commission · 447 U.S. 530 (1980)
• International Ass'n of MacHinists v. Street · 367 U.S. 740 (1961)
• United States v. Kokinda · 497 U.S. 720 (1990)
• George Moore Ice Cream Co. v. Rose · 289 U.S. 373 (1933)
• Pickering v. Board of Ed. of Township High School Dist. 205, Will Cty. · 391 U.S. 563 (1968)
• United States v. Salerno · 481 U.S. 739 (1987)
• DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services · 489 U.S. 189 (1989)

Cited by

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

• Legal Services Corp. v. Velazquez · 531 U.S. 533 (2001)
• Agency for Int'l Development v. Alliance for Open Society Int'l, Inc. · 570 U.S. 205 (2013)
• United States v. American Library Assn., Inc. · 539 U.S. 194 (2003)
• National Endowment for the Arts v. Finley · 524 U.S. 569 (1998)
• Garcetti v. Ceballos · 547 U.S. 410 (2006)
• United States v. Davis · 588 U.S. 445 (2019)
• Walker v. Texas Div., Sons of Confederate Veterans, Inc. · 576 U.S. 200 (2015)
• Almendarez-Torres v. United States · 523 U.S. 224 (1998)
• Rosenberger v. Rector & Visitors of University of Virginia · 515 U.S. 819 (1995)
• Pleasant Grove City v. Summum · 555 U.S. 460 (2009)
• Matal v. Tam · 582 U.S. 218 (2017)
• Reed v. Town of Gilbert · 576 U.S. 155 (2015)
• United States v. Windsor · 570 U.S. 744 (2013)
• Gonzales v. Carhart · 550 U.S. 124 (2007)
• Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System v. Southworth · 529 U.S. 217 (2000)
• Clark v. Martinez · 543 U.S. 371 (2005)
• Chamber of Commerce of United States v. Brown · 554 U.S. 60 (2008)
• United States v. Booker · 543 U.S. 220 (2005)
• Payne v. Tennessee · 501 U.S. 808 (1991)
• Jones v. United States · 526 U.S. 227 (1999)
• Food & Drug Administration v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. · 529 U.S. 120 (2000)
• Harris v. United States · 536 U.S. 545 (2002)
• National Cable & Telecommunications Assn. v. Brand X Internet Services · 545 U.S. 967 (2005)
• City of Chicago v. Morales · 527 U.S. 41 (1999)
• Barnhart v. Walton · 535 U.S. 212 (2002)
• Peretz v. United States · 501 U.S. 923 (1991)
• Allentown MacK Sales & Service, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board · 522 U.S. 359 (1998)
• Gutierrez De Martinez v. Lamagno · 515 U.S. 417 (1995)
• Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District · 509 U.S. 1 (1993)
• Vidal v. Elster · 602 U.S. 286 (2024)

Official text

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

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Source: the U.S. Reports via govinfo.gov; authoring Justice and vote lineup from the Supreme Court Database (Washington University). 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).