John H. Alden, et al. v. Maine

Decided June 23, 1999. Anthony McLeod Kennedy delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 98-436 · 527 U.S. 706 (1999) · Cited 1,967 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.

• Seminole Tribe of Florida v. Florida · 517 U.S. 44 (1996)
• Nevada v. Hall · 440 U.S. 410 (1979)
• Printz v. United States · 521 U.S. 898 (1997)
• Hilton v. South Carolina Public Railways Commission · 502 U.S. 197 (1991)
• Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority · 469 U.S. 528 (1985)
• Principality of Monaco v. Mississippi · 292 U.S. 313 (1934)
• Parden v. Terminal Railway of Alabama State Docks Department · 377 U.S. 184 (1964)
• New York v. United States · 505 U.S. 144 (1992)
• National League of Cities v. Usery · 426 U.S. 833 (1976)
• United States v. Lee · 106 U.S. 196 (1882)
• Blatchford v. Native Village of Noatak · 501 U.S. 775 (1991)
• Great Northern Life Insurance Co. v. Read · 322 U.S. 47 (1944)
• Howlett Ex Rel. Howlett v. Rose · 496 U.S. 356 (1990)
• Maryland v. Wirtz · 392 U.S. 183 (1968)
• Beers Ex Rel. Platenius v. Arkansas · 61 U.S. 527 (1858)
• Kawananakoa v. Polyblank · 205 U.S. 349 (1907)
• Will v. Michigan Department of State Police · 491 U.S. 58 (1989)
• Edelman v. Jordan · 415 U.S. 651 (1974)
• Atascadero State Hospital v. Scanlon · 473 U.S. 234 (1985)
• Idaho v. Coeur D'Alene Tribe of Idaho · 521 U.S. 261 (1997)
• Pennsylvania v. Union Gas Co. · 491 U.S. 1 (1989)
• Reich v. Collins · 513 U.S. 106 (1994)
• Erie Railroad v. Tompkins · 304 U.S. 64 (1938)
• Pennhurst State School and Hospital v. Halderman · 465 U.S. 89 (1984)
• Mt. Healthy City School District Board of Education v. Doyle · 429 U.S. 274 (1977)
• United States v. Lopez · 514 U.S. 549 (1995)
• Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority v. Metcalf & Eddy, Inc. · 506 U.S. 139 (1993)
• City of Boerne v. Flores · 521 U.S. 507 (1997)
• Maine v. Thiboutot · 448 U.S. 1 (1980)
• Fitzpatrick v. Bitzer · 427 U.S. 445 (1976)

Cited by

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

• Torres v. Texas Department of Public Safety · 597 U.S. 580 (2022)
• Federal Maritime Commission v. South Carolina State Ports Authority · 535 U.S. 743 (2002)
• Franchise Tax Bd. of Cal. v. Hyatt · 587 U.S. 230 (2019)
• PennEast Pipeline Co. v. New Jersey · 594 U.S. 482 (2021)
• District of Columbia v. Heller · 554 U.S. 570 (2008)
• Kimel v. Florida Board of Regents · 528 U.S. 62 (2000)
• Lewis v. Clarke · 581 U.S. 155 (2017)
• Raygor v. Regents of the University of Minnesota · 534 U.S. 533 (2002)
• Northern Ins. Co. of NY v. Chatham County · 547 U.S. 189 (2006)
• Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community · 572 U.S. 782 (2014)
• Central Virginia Community College v. Katz · 546 U.S. 356 (2006)
• Timbs v. Indiana · 586 U.S. 146 (2019)
• Alabama v. North Carolina · 560 U.S. 330 (2010)
• Wyeth v. Levine · 555 U.S. 555 (2009)
• Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency · 549 U.S. 497 (2007)
• City of Arlington v. Fed. Commc'ns Comm'n · 569 U.S. 290 (2013)
• Rothgery v. Gillespie County · 554 U.S. 191 (2008)
• United Haulers Ass'n v. Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Management Authority · 550 U.S. 330 (2007)
• Gamble v. United States · 587 U.S. 678 (2019)
• Jinks v. Richland County · 538 U.S. 456 (2003)
• Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Comm'n · 576 U.S. 787 (2015)
• Chiafalo v. Washington · 591 U.S. 578 (2020)
• Financial Oversight and Management Bd. for P. R. v. Centro De Periodismo Investigativo, Inc. · 598 U.S. 339 (2023)
• Board of Trustees of Univ. of Ala. v. Garrett · 531 U.S. 356 (2001)
• Verizon Maryland Inc. v. Public Service Commission of Maryland · 535 U.S. 635 (2002)
• Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation v. Environmental Protection Agency · 540 U.S. 461 (2004)
• Ramos v. Louisiana · 590 U.S. 83 (2020)
• DeVillier v. Texas · 601 U.S. 285 (2024)
• Gonzales v. Raich · 545 U.S. 1 (2005)
• National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius · 567 U.S. 519 (2012)

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).