Plaut v. Spendthrift Farm, Inc.

Plaut v. Spendthrift Farm, Inc.

Argued November 30, 1994
Decided April 18, 1995
Full case name Ed Plaut, et ux., et al., petitioners v. Spendthrift Farm, Inc., et al.
Citations

514 U.S. 211 (more)

Holding
A statute that requires federal courts to reopen final judgments entered before its enactment is unconstitutional.
Court membership
Case opinions
Majority Scalia, joined by Rehnquist, O'Connor, Kennedy, Souter, Thomas
Concurrence Breyer
Dissent Stevens, joined by Ginsburg
Laws applied
U.S. Const. art. III

Plaut v. Spendthrift Farm, Inc., 514 U.S. 211 (1995),[1] was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that Congress may not retroactively require federal courts to reopen final judgments. Writing for the Court, Justice Scalia asserted that such action amounted to an unauthorized encroachment by Congress upon the powers of the judiciary and therefore violated the constitutional principle of separation of powers.

See also

References

  1. 514 U.S. 211 Full text of the opinion courtesy of Findlaw.com.