Tommy G. Thompson, Secretary of Health and Human Services, et al. v. Western States Medical Center et al.
Decided April 29, 2002. Sandra Day O'Connor delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 01-344 · 535 U.S. 357 (2002) · Cited 278 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.
Majority · 4
- Sandra Day O'Connor · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy
- Antonin Scalia
- David Hackett Souter
Concurring · 1
- Clarence Thomas · filed a concurring opinion
Dissenting · 4
- John Paul Stevens
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Stephen Gerald Breyer · filed a dissenting opinion
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
“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.
- Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. v. Public Service Commission · 447 U.S. 557 (1980)
- 44 Liquormart, Inc. v. Rhode Island · 517 U.S. 484 (1996)
- Virginia State Board of Pharmacy v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, Inc. · 425 U.S. 748 (1976)
- Rubin v. Coors Brewing Co. · 514 U.S. 476 (1995)
- Illinois State Board of Elections v. Socialist Workers Party · 440 U.S. 173 (1979)
- Edenfield v. Fane · 507 U.S. 761 (1993)
- Greater New Orleans Broadcasting Assn., Inc. v. United States · 527 U.S. 173 (1999)
- Minnesota v. Clover Leaf Creamery Co. · 449 U.S. 456 (1981)
- Buckman Co. v. Plaintiffs' Legal Committee · 531 U.S. 341 (2001)
- Bolger v. Youngs Drug Products Corp. · 463 U.S. 60 (1983)
- Lorillard Tobacco Co. v. Reilly · 533 U.S. 525 (2001)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- District of Columbia v. Heller · 554 U.S. 570 (2008)
- United States v. Alvarez · 567 U.S. 709 (2012)
- Ysursa v. Pocatello Education Ass'n · 555 U.S. 353 (2009)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Sandra Day O'Connor’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
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).