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Petitioner

Variable Name
petitioner

Spaeth Name
PARTY_1

Normalizations
311 [ view ]

The next four variables identify the parties to the case. "Petitioner" refers to the party who petitioned the Supreme Court to review the case. This party is variously known as the petitioner or the appellant. "Respondent" refers to the party being sued or tried and is also known as the appellee. Variables "petitioner" and "respondent" provide detailed information about all parties, except the identity of the state if a state (or one of its subdivisions) is a party, petitioner and respondent variables note only whether a state is a party, not the state's name. See variables Petitioner State and Respondent State for the name.

The specific codes that appear below were created inductively, with petitioner and respondent characterized as the Court's opinion identifies them.

In describing the parties in the cases before it, the justices employ terminology that places them in the context of the litigation in which they are involved. Accordingly, an employer who happens to be a manufacturer will be identified as the former if its role in the litigation is that of an employer and as the latter if its role is that of a business. Because the justices describe litigants in this fashion, a fairly limited vocabulary characterizes them. Note that the list of parties also includes the list of administrative agencies and officials contained in administrative action preceding litigation.

Also note that the Court's characterization of the parties applies whether the petitioner and respondent are actually single entities or whether many other persons or legal entities have associated themselves with the lawsuit. That is, the presence of the phrase, et al., following the name of a party does not preclude the Court from characterizing that party as though it were a single entity. Thus, each docket number will show a single petitioner and a single respondent, regardless of how many legal entities were actually involved.

The decision rules governing the identification of parties are as follows.

1. Parties are identified by the labels given them in the opinion or judgment of the Court except where the Reports title a party as the "United States" or as a named state. Textual identification of parties is typically provided prior to Part I of the Court's opinion. The official syllabus, the summary that appears on the title page of the case, may be consulted as well. In describing the parties, the Court employs terminology that places them in the context of the specific lawsuit in which they are involved. E.g., "employer" rather than "business" in a suit by an employee; as a "minority," "female," or "minority female" employee rather than "employee" in a suit alleging discrimination by an employer.

2. Where a choice of identifications exists that which provides information not provided by the legal provision or the issue is chosen. E.g., a federal taxpayer or an attorney accused of a crime as taxpayer or attorney rather than accused person, particularly if neither the lawType nor the Issue variable identifies the case as a tax matter or one involving an attorney.

3. Identify the parties by reference to the following list and by the list of federal agencies provided in the adminAction variable.

Values:

1	attorney general of the United States, or his office
2	specified state board or department of education
3	city, town, township, village, or borough government or governmental unit
4	state commission, board, committee, or authority
5	county government or county governmental unit, except school district
6	court or judicial district
7	state department or agency
8	governmental employee or job applicant
9	female governmental employee or job applicant
10	minority governmental employee or job applicant
11	minority female governmental employee or job applicant
12	not listed among agencies in the first Administrative Action variable
13	retired or former governmental employee
14	U.S. House of Representatives
15	interstate compact
16	judge
17	state legislature, house, or committee
18	local governmental unit other than a county, city, town, township, village, or borough
19	governmental official, or an official of an agency established under an interstate compact
20	state or U.S. supreme court
21	local school district or board of education
22	U.S. Senate
23	U.S. senator
24	foreign nation or instrumentality
25	state or local governmental taxpayer, or executor of the estate of
26	state college or university
27	United States
28	State
100	person accused, indicted, or suspected of crime
101	advertising business or agency
102	agent, fiduciary, trustee, or executor
103	airplane manufacturer, or manufacturer of parts of airplanes
104	airline
105	distributor, importer, or exporter of alcoholic beverages
106	alien, person subject to a denaturalization proceeding, or one whose citizenship is revoked
107	American Medical Association
108	National Railroad Passenger Corp.
109	amusement establishment, or recreational facility
110	arrested person, or pretrial detainee
111	attorney, or person acting as such;includes bar applicant or law student, or law firm or bar association
112	author, copyright holder
113	bank, savings and loan, credit union, investment company
114	bankrupt person or business, or business in reorganization
115	establishment serving liquor by the glass, or package liquor store
116	water transportation, stevedore
117	bookstore, newsstand, printer, bindery, purveyor or distributor of books or magazines
118	brewery, distillery
119	broker, stock exchange, investment or securities firm
120	construction industry
121	bus or motorized passenger transportation vehicle
122	business, corporation
123	buyer, purchaser
124	cable TV
125	car dealer
126	person convicted of crime
127	tangible property, other than real estate, including contraband
128	chemical company
129	child, children, including adopted or illegitimate
130	religious organization, institution, or person
131	private club or facility
132	coal company or coal mine operator
133	computer business or manufacturer, hardware or software
134	consumer, consumer organization
135	creditor, including institution appearing as such; e.g., a finance company
136	person allegedly criminally insane or mentally incompetent to stand trial
137	defendant
138	debtor
139	real estate developer
140	disabled person or disability benefit claimant
141	distributor
142	person subject to selective service, including conscientious objector
143	drug manufacturer
144	druggist, pharmacist, pharmacy
145	employee, or job applicant, including beneficiaries of
146	employer-employee trust agreement, employee health and welfare fund, or multi-employer pension plan
147	electric equipment manufacturer
148	electric or hydroelectric power utility, power cooperative, or gas and electric company
149	eleemosynary institution or person
150	environmental organization
151	employer. If employer's relations with employees are governed by the nature of the employer's business (e.g., railroad, boat), rather than labor law generally, the more specific designation is used in place of Employer.
152	farmer, farm worker, or farm organization
153	father
154	female employee or job applicant
155	female
156	movie, play, pictorial representation, theatrical production, actor, or exhibitor or distributor of
157	fisherman or fishing company
158	food, meat packing, or processing company, stockyard
159	foreign (non-American) nongovernmental entity
160	franchiser
161	franchisee
162	lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual person or organization
163	person who guarantees another's obligations
164	handicapped individual, or organization of devoted to
165	health organization or person, nursing home, medical clinic or laboratory, chiropractor
166	heir, or beneficiary, or person so claiming to be
167	hospital, medical center
168	husband, or ex-husband
169	involuntarily committed mental patient
170	Indian, including Indian tribe or nation
171	insurance company, or surety
172	inventor, patent assigner, trademark owner or holder
173	investor
174	injured person or legal entity, nonphysically and non-employment related
175	juvenile
176	government contractor
177	holder of a license or permit, or applicant therefor
178	magazine
179	male
180	medical or Medicaid claimant
181	medical supply or manufacturing co.
182	racial or ethnic minority employee or job applicant
183	minority female employee or job applicant
184	manufacturer
185	management, executive officer, or director, of business entity
186	military personnel, or dependent of, including reservist
187	mining company or miner, excluding coal, oil, or pipeline company
188	mother
189	auto manufacturer
190	newspaper, newsletter, journal of opinion, news service
191	radio and television network, except cable tv
192	nonprofit organization or business
193	nonresident
194	nuclear power plant or facility
195	owner, landlord, or claimant to ownership, fee interest, or possession of land as well as chattels
196	shareholders to whom a tender offer is made
197	tender offer
198	oil company, or natural gas producer
199	elderly person, or organization dedicated to the elderly
200	out of state noncriminal defendant
201	political action committee
202	parent or parents
203	parking lot or service
204	patient of a health professional
205	telephone, telecommunications, or telegraph company
206	physician, MD or DO, dentist, or medical society
207	public interest organization
208	physically injured person, including wrongful death, who is not an employee
209	pipe line company
210	package, luggage, container
211	political candidate, activist, committee, party, party member, organization, or elected official
212	indigent, needy, welfare recipient
213	indigent defendant
214	private person
215	prisoner, inmate of penal institution
216	professional organization, business, or person
217	probationer, or parolee
218	protester, demonstrator, picketer or pamphleteer (non-employment related), or non-indigent loiterer
219	public utility
220	publisher, publishing company
221	radio station
222	racial or ethnic minority
223	person or organization protesting racial or ethnic segregation or discrimination
224	racial or ethnic minority student or applicant for admission to an educational institution
225	realtor
226	journalist, columnist, member of the news media
227	resident
228	restaurant, food vendor
229	retarded person, or mental incompetent
230	retired or former employee
231	railroad
232	private school, college, or university
233	seller or vendor
234	shipper, including importer and exporter
235	shopping center, mall
236	spouse, or former spouse
237	stockholder, shareholder, or bondholder
238	retail business or outlet
239	student, or applicant for admission to an educational institution
240	taxpayer or executor of taxpayer's estate, federal only
241	tenant or lessee
242	theater, studio
243	forest products, lumber, or logging company
244	person traveling or wishing to travel abroad, or overseas travel agent
245	trucking company, or motor carrier
246	television station
247	union member
248	unemployed person or unemployment compensation applicant or claimant
249	union, labor organization, or official of
250	veteran
251	voter, prospective voter, elector, or a nonelective official seeking reapportionment or redistricting of legislative districts (POL)
252	wholesale trade
253	wife, or ex-wife
254	witness, or person under subpoena
255	network
256	slave
257	slave-owner
258	bank of the united states
259	timber company
260	u.s. job applicants or employees
301	Army and Air Force Exchange Service
302	Atomic Energy Commission
303	Secretary or administrative unit or personnel of the U.S. Air Force
304	Department or Secretary of Agriculture
305	Alien Property Custodian
306	Secretary or administrative unit or personnel of the U.S. Army
307	Board of Immigration Appeals
308	Bureau of Indian Affairs
310	Bonneville Power Administration
311	Benefits Review Board
312	Civil Aeronautics Board
313	Bureau of the Census
314	Central Intelligence Agency
315	Commodity Futures Trading Commission
316	Department or Secretary of Commerce
317	Comptroller of Currency
318	Consumer Product Safety Commission
319	Civil Rights Commission
320	Civil Service Commission, U.S.
321	Customs Service or Commissioner of Customs
322	Defense Base Closure and REalignment Commission
323	Drug Enforcement Agency
324	Department or Secretary of Defense (and Department or Secretary of War)
325	Department or Secretary of Energy
326	Department or Secretary of the Interior
327	Department of Justice or Attorney General
328	Department or Secretary of State
329	Department or Secretary of Transportation
330	Department or Secretary of Education
331	U.S. Employees' Compensation Commission, or Commissioner
332	Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
333	Environmental Protection Agency or Administrator
334	Federal Aviation Agency or Administration
335	Federal Bureau of Investigation or Director
336	Federal Bureau of Prisons
337	Farm Credit Administration
338	Federal Communications Commission (including a predecessor, Federal Radio Commission)
339	Federal Credit Union Administration
340	Food and Drug Administration
341	Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
342	Federal Energy Administration
343	Federal Election Commission
344	Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
345	Federal Housing Administration
346	Federal Home Loan Bank Board
347	Federal Labor Relations Authority
348	Federal Maritime Board
349	Federal Maritime Commission
350	Farmers Home Administration
351	Federal Parole Board
352	Federal Power Commission
353	Federal Railroad Administration
354	Federal Reserve Board of Governors
355	Federal Reserve System
356	Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation
357	Federal Trade Commission
358	Federal Works Administration, or Administrator
359	General Accounting Office
360	Comptroller General
361	General Services Administration
362	Department or Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare
363	Department or Secretary of Health and Human Services
364	Department or Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
366	Interstate Commerce Commission
367	Indian Claims Commission
368	Immigration and Naturalization Service, or Director of, or District Director of, or Immigration and Naturalization Enforcement
369	Internal Revenue Service, Collector, Commissioner, or District Director of
370	Information Security Oversight Office
371	Department or Secretary of Labor
372	Loyalty Review Board
373	Legal Services Corporation
374	Merit Systems Protection Board
375	Multistate Tax Commission
376	National Aeronautics and Space Administration
377	Secretary or administrative unit of the U.S. Navy
378	National Credit Union Administration
379	National Endowment for the Arts
380	National Enforcement Commission
381	National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
382	National Labor Relations Board, or regional office or officer
383	National Mediation Board
384	National Railroad Adjustment Board
385	Nuclear Regulatory Commission
386	National Security Agency
387	Office of Economic Opportunity
388	Office of Management and Budget
389	Office of Price Administration, or Price Administrator
390	Office of Personnel Management
391	Occupational Safety and Health Administration
392	Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
393	Office of Workers' Compensation Programs
394	Patent Office, or Commissioner of, or Board of Appeals of
395	Pay Board (established under the Economic Stabilization Act of 1970)
396	Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
397	U.S. Public Health Service
398	Postal Rate Commission
399	Provider Reimbursement Review Board
400	Renegotiation Board
401	Railroad Adjustment Board
402	Railroad Retirement Board
403	Subversive Activities Control Board
404	Small Business Administration
405	Securities and Exchange Commission
406	Social Security Administration or Commissioner
407	Selective Service System
408	Department or Secretary of the Treasury
409	Tennessee Valley Authority
410	United States Forest Service
411	United States Parole Commission
412	Postal Service and Post Office, or Postmaster General, or Postmaster
413	United States Sentencing Commission
414	Veterans' Administration
415	War Production Board
416	Wage Stabilization Board
417	General Land Office of Commissioners
418	Transportation Security Administration
419	Surface Transportation Board
420	U.S. Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corp.
421	Reconstruction Finance Corp.
422	Department or Secretary of Homeland Security
501	Unidentifiable
600	International Entity