United States v. Hatter, Judge, United States District Court for the Central District of California

Summary

The Court held that a nondiscriminatory Medicare tax may be imposed on federal judges, reversing the Court of Appeals, but affirmed that the 1983 Social Security tax discriminates against judges and violates the Compensation Clause, and that later salary increases do not cure the violation, remanding for further proceedings. Justice Scalia, dissenting in part, and Justice Thomas, dissenting in part, contested the majority's reasoning on both taxes.