Verizon Md. Inc. v. Public Service Comm'N of Md.

Decided May 20, 2002. Antonin Scalia delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 00-1531 · 535 U.S. 635 (2002) · Cited 1,977 times

Holding

A suspended sentence that may “end up in the actual deprivation of a person’s liberty” may not be imposed unless the defendant was accorded “the guiding hand of counsel” in the prosecution for the crime charged.

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 8–0.

“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.

• Seminole Tribe of Florida v. Florida · 517 U.S. 44 (1996)
• Idaho v. Coeur D'Alene Tribe of Idaho · 521 U.S. 261 (1997)
• Steel Co. v. Citizens for a Better Environment · 523 U.S. 83 (1998)
• Edelman v. Jordan · 415 U.S. 651 (1974)
• Abbott Laboratories v. Gardner · 387 U.S. 136 (1967)
• Alden v. Maine · 527 U.S. 706 (1999)
• District of Columbia Court of Appeals v. Feldman · 460 U.S. 462 (1983)
• Rooker v. Fidelity Trust Co. · 263 U.S. 413 (1924)
• Shaw v. Delta Air Lines, Inc. · 463 U.S. 85 (1983)
• Davis v. Passman · 442 U.S. 228 (1979)
• Board of Trustees of Univ. of Ala. v. Garrett · 531 U.S. 356 (2001)
• Cohens v. Virginia · 19 U.S. 264 (1821)
• Kimel v. Florida Board of Regents · 528 U.S. 62 (2000)
• College Savings Bank v. Florida Prepaid Postsecondary Education Expense Board · 527 U.S. 666 (1999)
• United States v. Fausto · 484 U.S. 439 (1988)
• Smyth v. Ames · 169 U.S. 466 (1898)
• McKesson Corp. v. Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, Fla. Dept. of Business Regulation · 496 U.S. 18 (1990)
• Prentis v. Atlantic Coast Line Co. · 211 U.S. 210 (1908)
• Alabama Public Service Commission v. Southern Railway Co. · 341 U.S. 341 (1951)
• Reagan v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. · 154 U.S. 362 (1894)
• At&T Corp. v. Iowa Utilities Board · 525 U.S. 366 (1999)
• Florida Prepaid Postsecondary Education Expense Board v. College Savings Bank · 527 U.S. 627 (1999)
• McNeill v. Southern Railway Co. · 202 U.S. 543 (1906)

Cited by

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

• Armstrong v. Exceptional Child Center, Inc. · 575 U.S. 320 (2015)
• Lexmark Int'l, Inc. v. Static Control Components, Inc. · 572 U.S. 118 (2014)
• Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community · 572 U.S. 782 (2014)
• Exxon Mobil Corp. v. Saudi Basic Industries Corp. · 544 U.S. 280 (2005)
• Lance v. Dennis · 546 U.S. 459 (2006)
• Nixon v. Missouri Municipal League · 541 U.S. 125 (2004)
• Ortiz v. United States · 585 U.S. 427 (2018)

Official text

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

Explore from here

Antonin Scalia’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court

Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2002). 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).