{"argument_date":"2003-01-14T00:00:00Z","arguments":[{"argument_date":"2003-01-14T00:00:00Z","heading":"What happened at the argument","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2002","official_transcript_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","paragraphs":["Ms. Lach argued the term person remains unchanged since 1863.","Mr. Stewart argued the law targets deliberate efforts to cheat the government.","Mr. Stewart stated the side that brought the case identified no legitimate ground for exclusion."],"reargument":false,"sequence":1,"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 23-3","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 23-3"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 29, lines 43-47","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 29, lines 43-47"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-29"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 45, lines 3-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 45, lines 3-5"}]}],"caption":"Cook County v. United States, ex rel. Chandler","case_history":[{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:31.445110Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"}],"case_status":"argued","dek":"Cook County argues the law excludes local entities. The government says the law covers them.","dek_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 23-3","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 23-3"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 29, lines 43-47","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 29, lines 43-47"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-29"}],"dispositions":[],"latest_court_document_date":"2003-01-14T00:00:00Z","maturity":"official_transcript","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2002","official_disposition_urls":[],"official_docket_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/01-1572.html","primary_docket":"01-1572","revisions":[{"correction_note":"Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.","created_at":"2026-08-31T16:34:00.681910Z","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 False Claims Act targets fraud against the federal government. The term person remains undefined. The Court must decide if local governments fit this term."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 23-3","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 23-3"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 29, lines 43-47","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 29, lines 43-47"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-29"}]},{"heading":"How the case got here","paragraphs":["The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on January 14, 2003."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-15"}]},{"heading":"What each side wants","paragraphs":["Cook County wants the Court to exclude local governments from the law.","The government wants the Court to include local governments in the law."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 23-3","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 23-3"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 29, lines 43-47","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 29, lines 43-47"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-29"}]},{"heading":"What each side says","paragraphs":["Cook County argues Congress did not intend to include local governments.","The government argues the law covers all entities that cheat the federal government."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 23-3","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 23-3"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 29, lines 43-47","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 29, lines 43-47"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-29"}]},{"heading":"What the justices asked","paragraphs":["Chief Justice Rehnquist asked if the case was submitted."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 45, lines 3-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 45, lines 3-5"}]},{"heading":"Why it matters","paragraphs":["Local governments face financial liability for federal fraud. The law defines who must pay penalties. This case sets the scope of federal fraud enforcement."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 23-3","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 23-3"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 29, lines 43-47","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 29, lines 43-47"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-29"}]},{"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 5-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 45, lines 3-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 45, lines 3-5"}]}],"slug":"2002-01-1572-cook-county-v-united-states-ex-rel-chandler","term":"2002","title":"Does the False Claims Act cover local governments?","title_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 23-3","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 23-3"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 29, lines 43-47","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 29, lines 43-47"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1572.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-29"}],"topics":[],"undated_disposition_date_fallback":null,"updated_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z"}