United States v. Hatter

United States v. Hatter
Argued February 20, 2001
Decided May 21, 2001
Full case nameUnited States, Petitioner v. Terry J. Hatter, Judge of the District Court for the Central District of California, et al.
Citations532 U.S. 557 (more)
121 S. Ct. 1782; 149 L. Ed. 2d 820
Case history
Prior203 F.3d 795 (Fed. Cir. 2000), affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.
Holding
The Compensation Clause bars the government from collecting Social Security taxes from federal judges who held office before Congress extended those taxes; Medicare taxes can be collected.
Court membership
Chief Justice
William Rehnquist
Associate Justices
John P. Stevens · Sandra Day O'Connor
Antonin Scalia · Anthony Kennedy
David Souter · Clarence Thomas
Ruth Bader Ginsburg · Stephen Breyer
Case opinions
MajorityBreyer, joined by Rehnquist, Kennedy, Souter, Ginsburg
Concur/dissentScalia
Concur/dissentThomas
Stevens and O'Connor took no part in the consideration or decision of the case.

United States v. Hatter, 532 U.S. 557 (2001), was a United States Supreme Court case decided in 2001. The case concerned an alleged violation of the Compensation Clause of the United States Constitution when Congress extended Medicare and Social Security taxes to federal judge salaries. Additionally, the case dealt with whether a later increase of federal judge salaries, greater than the new taxes, remedied the potential violation.