{"argument_date":"2003-10-14T00:00:00Z","arguments":[{"argument_date":"2003-10-14T00:00:00Z","heading":"What happened at the argument","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2003","official_transcript_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","paragraphs":["Mr. Lamken argued that the Commissioner has long construed the program to require two conditions for disability.","He stated that a claimant must be unable to do their previous work to qualify.","Mr. Alter argued that the Commissioner is acting against its own theme of providing remedies for disabled individuals.","He asserted that Congress intended to separate the analysis of previous work from other work."],"reargument":false,"sequence":1,"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 13, lines 25-33","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 13, lines 25-33"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-9"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-13"}]}],"caption":"Barnhart v. Thomas","case_history":[{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:30.984429Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"}],"case_status":"argued","dek":"The dispute centers on whether a person qualifies for disability benefits when they cannot perform their past job but can perform other existing work.","dek_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 13, lines 25-33","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 13, lines 25-33"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-9"}],"dispositions":[],"latest_court_document_date":"2003-10-14T00:00:00Z","maturity":"official_transcript","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2003","official_disposition_urls":[],"official_docket_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/02-763.html","primary_docket":"02-763","revisions":[{"correction_note":"Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.","created_at":"2026-08-31T16:11:58.915128Z","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 tests the legal standard for determining disability under the Social Security program. It asks how courts must weigh a claimant's ability to perform previous work versus other work."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 13, lines 25-33","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 13, lines 25-33"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-9"}]},{"heading":"How the case got here","paragraphs":["The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on October 14, 2003."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-13"}]},{"heading":"What each side wants","paragraphs":["The Commissioner seeks a ruling that denies benefits if the claimant can do other work.","The claimant seeks a ruling that grants benefits if she cannot do her previous job."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 13, lines 25-33","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 13, lines 25-33"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-9"}]},{"heading":"What each side says","paragraphs":["The Commissioner argues that disability requires an inability to do both previous and other work.","The claimant argues that Congress intended to separate the analysis of previous work from other work."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 13, lines 25-33","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 13, lines 25-33"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-9"}]},{"heading":"What the justices asked","paragraphs":["How must courts distinguish between the ability to do previous work and other work?","Does the statutory language require a specific separation between these two steps?"],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 13, lines 25-33","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 13, lines 25-33"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-9"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-13"}]},{"heading":"Why it matters","paragraphs":["This case defines the threshold for receiving federal disability benefits. It determines how many Americans can access financial support when they lose their ability to work. The outcome shapes the scope of the social safety net for workers with impairments."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 13, lines 25-33","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 13, lines 25-33"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-9"}]},{"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 13, lines 25-33","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 13, lines 25-33"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-9"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-13"}]}],"slug":"2003-02-763-barnhart-v-thomas","term":"2003","title":"Can a claimant be disabled if they can do other work but not their previous job?","title_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 13, lines 25-33","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 13, lines 25-33"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-763.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-9"}],"topics":[],"undated_disposition_date_fallback":null,"updated_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z"}