{"argument_date":"2002-03-20T00:00:00Z","arguments":[{"argument_date":"2002-03-20T00:00:00Z","heading":"What happened at the argument","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2001","official_transcript_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","paragraphs":["the sides that brought the case argue the lodestar method aligns with the statute's purpose.","the opposing sides argue the lodestar method is inefficient for courts.","questions_asked_by_justices"],"reargument":false,"sequence":1,"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 41-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 41-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 21-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 21-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-19"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 37-55","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 37-55"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 33-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 33-19"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 54, lines 21-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 54, lines 21-23"}]}],"caption":"Gisbrecht v. Barnhart","case_history":[{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:32.262964Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"},{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:32.292473Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"}],"case_status":"argued","dek":"the sides that brought the case seek the lodestar method for fee awards. the opposing sides oppose this approach.","dek_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 41-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 41-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 21-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 21-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 37-55","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 37-55"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 33-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 33-19"}],"dispositions":[],"latest_court_document_date":"2002-03-20T00:00:00Z","maturity":"official_transcript","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2001","official_disposition_urls":[],"official_docket_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/01-131.html","primary_docket":"01-131","revisions":[{"correction_note":"Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.","created_at":"2026-08-31T17:03:48.450608Z","maturity":"official_transcript","revision_number":1},{"correction_note":"Migrated to the dated official Court activity contract without model use.","created_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z","maturity":"official_transcript","revision_number":2}],"schema_version":"1.1","sections":[{"heading":"What this case is about","paragraphs":["The case concerns how courts calculate attorney fees under the Social Security Act."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 41-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 41-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 21-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 21-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 37-55","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 37-55"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 33-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 33-19"}]},{"heading":"How the case got here","paragraphs":["The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on March 20, 2002."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-19"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 54, lines 21-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 54, lines 21-23"}]},{"heading":"What each side wants","paragraphs":["the sides that brought the case want courts to use the lodestar method for fee awards.","the opposing sides want courts to reject the lodestar method for fee awards."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 41-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 41-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 21-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 21-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 37-55","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 37-55"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 33-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 33-19"}]},{"heading":"What each side says","paragraphs":["the sides that brought the case argue the lodestar method best reflects the statute's plain language.","the opposing sides argue the lodestar method is not the most efficient way to determine fees."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 41-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 41-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 21-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 21-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 37-55","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 37-55"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 33-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 33-19"}]},{"heading":"What the justices asked","paragraphs":["Chief Justice Rehnquist asked about statistics on fee reductions in contingency circuits."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-19"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 54, lines 21-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 54, lines 21-23"}]},{"heading":"Why it matters","paragraphs":["The outcome determines how courts calculate attorney fees in Social Security cases."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 41-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 41-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 21-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 21-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 37-55","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 37-55"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 33-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 33-19"}]},{"heading":"What happens next","paragraphs":["This article currently covers the argument record. Use the official docket link for later case activity."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-19"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 54, lines 21-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 54, lines 21-23"}]}],"slug":"2001-01-131-gisbrecht-v-barnhart","term":"2001","title":"Should courts use the lodestar method to set Social Security attorney fees?","title_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 41-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 41-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 21-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 21-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 37-55","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 37-55"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 33-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-131.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 33-19"}],"topics":[],"undated_disposition_date_fallback":null,"updated_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z"}