Alden v. Maine
| Alden v. Maine | |
|---|---|
| Argued March 31, 1999 Decided June 23, 1999 | |
| Full case name | Alden et al. v. Maine |
| Citations | 527 U.S. 706 (more) 119 S. Ct. 2240; 144 L. Ed. 2d 636 |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Certiorari to the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine |
| Holding | |
| Article I of the United States Constitution does not provide Congress with the ability to subject nonconsenting states to private suits for damages in its own courts. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Kennedy, joined by Rehnquist, O'Connor, Scalia, Thomas |
| Dissent | Souter, joined by Stevens, Ginsburg, Breyer |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. arts. I, § 8, III, § 2 U.S. Const. amend. XI | |
Alden v. Maine, 527 U.S. 706 (1999), was a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in which the Court held the United States Congress may not use its Article I powers to allow people to sue a state in that state's own courts without the state's consent. The Court ruled that states are protected by sovereign immunity.