John R. Patterson, Trustee v. Joseph B. Shumate, Jr.

Decided June 15, 1992. Harry Andrew Blackmun delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 91-913 · 504 U.S. 753 (1992) · Cited 884 times

Holding

The plain language of the Bankruptcy Code and ERISA establishes that an antialienation provision in a qualified pension plan constitutes a restriction on transfer enforceable under “applicable nonbankruptcy law” for purposes of § 541(c)(2).

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 9–0.

“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.

• Guidry v. Sheet Metal Workers National Pension Fund · 493 U.S. 365 (1990)
• Dewsnup v. Timm · 502 U.S. 410 (1992)
• United States v. Ron Pair Enterprises, Inc. · 489 U.S. 235 (1989)
• Toibb v. Radloff · 501 U.S. 157 (1991)
• Butner v. United States · 440 U.S. 48 (1979)
• Consumer Product Safety Commission v. GTE Sylvania, Inc. · 447 U.S. 102 (1980)
• Fort Halifax Packing Co. v. Coyne · 482 U.S. 1 (1987)
• Davis v. Michigan Department of the Treasury · 489 U.S. 803 (1989)
• Nachman Corp. v. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation · 446 U.S. 359 (1980)
• Union Bank v. Wolas · 502 U.S. 151 (1991)
• Lewis v. Manufacturers National Bank of Detroit · 364 U.S. 603 (1961)
• Morrison-Knudsen Construction Co. v. Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs · 461 U.S. 624 (1983)

Cited by

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

• Hartford Underwriters Insurance v. Union Planters Bank, N. A. · 530 U.S. 1 (2000)
• BFP v. Resolution Trust Corporation · 511 U.S. 531 (1994)
• United States v. Granderson · 511 U.S. 39 (1994)
• Rousey v. Jacoway · 544 U.S. 320 (2005)
• Raymond B. Yates, MD, PC Profit Sharing Plan v. Hendon · 541 U.S. 1 (2004)

Official text

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

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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1992). 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).