Jeremiah W. (jay) Nixon, Attorney General of Missouri v. Missouri Municipal League et al.
Decided March 24, 2004. David Hackett Souter delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 02-1238 · 541 U.S. 125 (2004) · Cited 121 times
Holding
The class of entities contemplated by § 253 does not include the State’s own subdivisions, so as to affect the power of States and localities to restrict their own (or their political inferiors’) delivery of telecommunications services.
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 · 6
- David Hackett Souter · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Stephen Gerald Breyer
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
Concurring · 2
- Antonin Scalia · filed a concurring opinion
- Clarence Thomas
Dissenting · 1
- John Paul Stevens · 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.
- Gregory v. Ashcroft · 501 U.S. 452 (1991)
- United States v. American Trucking Associations · 310 U.S. 534 (1940)
- Verizon Maryland Inc. v. Public Service Commission of Maryland · 535 U.S. 635 (2002)
- Chapman v. Houston Welfare Rights Organization · 441 U.S. 600 (1979)
- United States v. Gonzales · 520 U.S. 1 (1997)
- Wisconsin Public Intervenor v. Mortier · 501 U.S. 597 (1991)
- Lorillard Tobacco Co. v. Reilly · 533 U.S. 525 (2001)
- Raygor v. Regents of the University of Minnesota · 534 U.S. 533 (2002)
- City of Columbus v. Ours Garage & Wrecker Service, Inc. · 536 U.S. 424 (2002)
- Roschen v. Ward · 279 U.S. 337 (1929)
- City of Lockhart v. United States · 460 U.S. 125 (1983)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Ali v. Federal Bureau of Prisons · 552 U.S. 214 (2008)
- Small v. United States · 544 U.S. 385 (2005)
- Christopher v. Smithkline Beecham Corp. · 567 U.S. 142 (2012)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
Explore from here
David Hackett Souter’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
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).