Thomas R. Phillips, et al. v. Washington Legal Foundation, et al.

Decided June 15, 1998. William Hubbs Rehnquist delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 96-1578 · 524 U.S. 156 (1998) · Cited 509 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.

• Webb's Fabulous Pharmacies, Inc. v. Beckwith · 449 U.S. 155 (1980)
• Loretto v. Teleprompter Manhattan CATV Corp. · 458 U.S. 419 (1982)
• Penn Central Transportation Co. v. New York City · 438 U.S. 104 (1978)
• Board of Regents of State Colleges v. Roth · 408 U.S. 564 (1972)
• Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council · 505 U.S. 1003 (1992)
• Boston Chamber of Commerce v. City of Boston · 217 U.S. 189 (1910)
• United States v. General Motors Corp. · 323 U.S. 373 (1945)
• United States v. Chandler-Dunbar Water Power Co. · 229 U.S. 53 (1913)
• United States v. Sperry Corp. · 493 U.S. 52 (1989)
• Hodel v. Irving · 481 U.S. 704 (1987)
• Almota Farmers Elevator & Warehouse Co. v. United States · 409 U.S. 470 (1973)
• Chevron U. S. A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. · 467 U.S. 837 (1984)
• Williamson County Regional Planning Commission v. Hamilton Bank of Johnson City · 473 U.S. 172 (1985)
• Pennsylvania Coal Co. v. Mahon · 260 U.S. 393 (1922)
• Concrete Pipe & Products of Cal., Inc. v. Construction Laborers Pension Trust for Southern Cal. · 508 U.S. 602 (1993)
• First English Evangelical Lutheran Church v. County of Los Angeles · 482 U.S. 304 (1987)
• Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad v. Chicago · 166 U.S. 226 (1897)
• United States v. Miller · 317 U.S. 369 (1943)
• Yee v. City of Escondido · 503 U.S. 519 (1992)
• Olson v. United States · 292 U.S. 246 (1934)
• Bernhardt v. Polygraphic Co. of America, Inc. · 350 U.S. 198 (1956)
• Andrus v. Allard · 444 U.S. 51 (1979)
• United States Ex Rel. Tennessee Valley Authority v. Powelson · 319 U.S. 266 (1943)
• United States v. Appalachian Electric Power Co. · 311 U.S. 377 (1941)
• Kimball Laundry Co. v. United States · 338 U.S. 1 (1949)
• United States v. Reynolds · 397 U.S. 14 (1970)
• United States v. 564.54 Acres of Monroe and Pike County Land · 441 U.S. 506 (1979)
• United States v. Twin City Power Co. · 350 U.S. 222 (1956)
• City of New York v. Sage · 239 U.S. 57 (1915)

Cited by

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

• Brown v. Legal Foundation of Washington · 538 U.S. 216 (2003)
• Tyler v. Hennepin County · 598 U.S. 631 (2023)
• Town of Castle Rock v. Gonzales · 545 U.S. 748 (2005)
• Knick v. Township of Scott · 588 U.S. 180 (2019)
• Koontz v. St. Johns River Water Management Dist. · 570 U.S. 595 (2013)
• Murr v. Wisconsin · 582 U.S. 383 (2017)
• Nelson v. Colorado · 581 U.S. 128 (2017)
• Moore v. Harper · 600 U.S. 1 (2023)
• Georgia v. Randolph · 547 U.S. 103 (2006)
• Palazzolo v. Rhode Island · 533 U.S. 606 (2001)
• Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid · 594 U.S. 139 (2021)
• Arkansas Game & Fish Commission v. United States · 568 U.S. 23 (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).