Jo Anne B. Barnhart, Commissioner of Social Security v. Peabody Coal Company et al.

Decided January 15, 2003. David Hackett Souter delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 01-705 · 537 U.S. 149 (2003) · Cited 416 times

Holding

Initial assignments made after October 1, 1993, are valid despite their untimeliness.

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 6–3.

“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.

• Brock v. Pierce County · 476 U.S. 253 (1986)
• United States v. Montalvo-Murillo · 495 U.S. 711 (1990)
• United States v. James Daniel Good Real Property · 510 U.S. 43 (1993)
• Barnhart v. Sigmon Coal Co. · 534 U.S. 438 (2002)
• Chevron U. S. A. Inc. v. Echazabal · 536 U.S. 73 (2002)
• United States v. Vonn · 535 U.S. 55 (2002)
• Eastern Enterprises v. Apfel · 524 U.S. 498 (1998)
• Regions Hospital v. Shalala · 522 U.S. 448 (1998)
• Federal Deposit Insurance v. Meyer · 510 U.S. 471 (1994)
• Browder v. Director, Dept. of Corrections of Ill. · 434 U.S. 257 (1978)
• Leatherman v. Tarrant County Narcotics Intelligence and Coordination Unit · 507 U.S. 163 (1993)
• Bowen v. Georgetown University Hospital · 488 U.S. 204 (1988)
• Food & Drug Administration v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. · 529 U.S. 120 (2000)
• Morton v. Mancari · 417 U.S. 535 (1974)
• Williamson v. United States · 512 U.S. 594 (1994)
• Louisiana Pub. Serv. Comm'n v. FCC · 476 U.S. 355 (1986)
• O'Melveny & Myers v. Federal Deposit Insurance · 512 U.S. 79 (1994)
• United States v. Wells · 519 U.S. 482 (1997)
• United States v. Salerno · 505 U.S. 317 (1992)

Cited by

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

• Nielsen v. Preap · 586 U.S. 392 (2019)
• Bowles v. Russell · 551 U.S. 205 (2007)
• McIntosh v. United States · 601 U.S. 330 (2024)
• Marx v. General Revenue Corp. · 568 U.S. 371 (2013)
• Nat'l Labor Relations Bd. v. SW Gen., Inc. · 580 U.S. 288 (2017)
• Bruesewitz v. Wyeth LLC · 562 U.S. 223 (2011)
• Esteras v. United States · 606 U.S. 185 (2025)

Official text

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

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David Hackett Souter’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).