Kansas v. Garcia

Decided March 3, 2020. Samuel A. Alito Jr. delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 17-834 · 589 U.S. 191 (2020) · Cited 120 times

Holding

The Kansas statutes under which respondents, three unauthorized aliens, were convicted—for fraudulently using another person’s Social Security number on state and federal tax-withholding forms submitted to their employers—are not expressly preempted by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986; and respondents’ argument that those laws are preempted by implication is rejected.

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

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. The lineup is the syllabus’s disposition of who wrote and joined each opinion. Source: the opinion’s syllabus (supremecourt.gov).

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.

• Arizona v. United States · 567 U.S. 387 (2012)
• Buckman Co. v. Plaintiffs' Legal Committee · 531 U.S. 341 (2001)
• Chamber of Commerce of United States of America v. Whiting · 563 U.S. 582 (2011)
• Wyeth v. Levine · 555 U.S. 555 (2009)
• Wisconsin Department of Industry, Labor & Human Relations v. Gould Inc. · 475 U.S. 282 (1986)
• San Diego Building Trades Council v. Garmon · 359 U.S. 236 (1959)
• Hines v. Davidowitz · 312 U.S. 52 (1941)
• Rice v. Santa Fe Elevator Corp. · 331 U.S. 218 (1947)
• Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. State Energy Resources Conservation & Development Commission · 461 U.S. 190 (1983)
• United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co. · 200 U.S. 321 (1906)
• CSX Transportation, Inc. v. Easterwood · 507 U.S. 658 (1993)
• De Canas v. Bica · 424 U.S. 351 (1976)
• Bates v. Dow Agrosciences LLC · 544 U.S. 431 (2005)
• Armstrong v. Exceptional Child Center, Inc. · 575 U.S. 320 (2015)
• PLIVA, Inc. v. Mensing · 564 U.S. 604 (2011)
• Camps Newfound/Owatonna, Inc. v. Town of Harrison · 520 U.S. 564 (1997)
• Hoffman Plastic Compounds, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board · 535 U.S. 137 (2002)
• Puerto Rico Department of Consumer Affairs v. Isla Petroleum Corp. · 485 U.S. 495 (1988)
• Northwest, Inc. v. Ginsberg · 572 U.S. 273 (2014)
• R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. v. Durham County · 479 U.S. 130 (1986)
• Kurns v. Railroad Friction Products Corp. · 565 U.S. 625 (2012)
• Osborn v. Bank of United States · 22 U.S. 738 (1824)
• Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Assn. · 584 U.S. 453 (2018)
• Virginia Uranium, Inc. v. Warren · 587 U.S. 761 (2019)
• Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. v. Albrecht · 587 U.S. 299 (2019)
• Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. v. Albrecht · 587 U.S. 299 (2019)

Official text

Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)

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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2020). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-08-15. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).