Richlin Security Service Co. v. Chertoff

Richlin Security Service Co. v. Chertoff
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued March 19, 2008 Decided June 2, 2008
Full case name	Richlin Security Service Company, petitioner v Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security
Docket nos.	06-717
Citations	553 U.S. 571 (more) 128 S. Ct. 2007; 170 L. Ed. 2d 960; 2008 U.S. LEXIS 4522; 76 U.S.L.W. 4360; 21 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. S 279
Argument	Oral argument
Holding
A prevailing party that satisfies EAJA’s other requirements mayrecover its paralegal fees from the Government at prevailing market rates. 472 F. 3d 1370, reversed and remanded.
Court membership
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Associate Justices John P. Stevens · Antonin Scalia Anthony Kennedy · David Souter Clarence Thomas · Ruth Bader Ginsburg Stephen Breyer · Samuel Alito
Case opinions
Majority	Alito, joined by Roberts, Stevens, Kennedy, Souter, Ginsburg, Breyer; Scalia (except part III-A); Thomas (except parts II-B, III)
Laws applied
Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) (5 U.S.C. § 504; 28 U.S.C. § 2412

)

Richlin Security Service Co. v. Chertoff, 553 U.S. 571 (2008), was an appeal of a lower court ruling denying the prevailing party in an administrative action against a government agency the right to recover at market rates the paralegal fees paid as part of the action. The Supreme Court held that 5 U. S. C. §504(a)(1) authorized the recovery of paralegal fees at market rates, and therefore reversed the lower court's ruling.

See also

• List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 553