--- title: Spider-Man's Uncle Ben Quoted in Supreme Court Case description: Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan quoted Spider-Man's Uncle Ben and his TV theme song in a decision Monday. canonical: https://time.com/3930115/supreme-court-spiderman/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-22T14:53:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:02:54.892Z article:section: Politics og:title: The Supreme Court Just Quoted Spider-Man og:description: "With great power comes great responsibility." og:url: https://time.com/3930115/supreme-court-spiderman/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9ab8a9f6d453e099/698855928e0601535a461133/spider-man-supreme-court.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Spiderman attends "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" Be Amazing Day Volunteer Day at I.S. 145 Joseph Pulitzer on April 25, 2014 in the Queens borough of New York City. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Supreme Court Just Quoted Spider-Man twitter:description: "With great power comes great responsibility." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9ab8a9f6d453e099/698855928e0601535a461133/spider-man-supreme-court.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Supreme Court Just Quoted Spider-Man > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 22, 2015 2:53 PM UTC  Spiderman attends "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" Be Amazing Day Volunteer Day at I.S. 145 Joseph Pulitzer on April 25, 2014 in the Queens borough of New York City. Spiderman attends "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" Be Amazing Day Volunteer Day at I.S. 145 Joseph Pulitzer on April 25, 2014 in the Queens borough of New York City. Mike Pont—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 22, 2015 2:53 PM UTC A Supreme Court justice cited an unusual source in a decision handed down Monday: Spider-Man. With all eyes on the nation’s highest court over upcoming decisions gay marriage and Obamacare, the reference was a rare moment of levity from Justice Elena Kagan. The reference came in her decision on Kimble v. Marvel, in which the court declined to overrule decades-old precedent that kept patent-holders from collecting royalties after a patent expires. In her opinion, Kagan noted the principle of stare decisis, which holds that court’s should hesitate to overturn their own precedents. --- > “” --- The quote comes not from a legal expert, of course, but from Uncle Ben, who is trying to guide a young Peter Parker to use his superpowers wisely in Amazing Fantasy No. 15, the comic which features the first appearance of Spider-Man. Supreme Court justices also have superpowers, but they come from a Senate confirmation vote, not a radioactive spider bite. In her opinion, Kagan also quoted the 1967 Spider-Man TV show theme song: “The parties set no end date for royalties, apparently contemplating that they would continue for as long as kids want to imitate Spider-Man (by doing whatever a spider can).” Read the full opinion [here](http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/14pdf/13-720%5Fjiel.pdf). ### How Gay Life in America Has Changed Over 50 Years  June 26, 1964 issue of LIFE magazine. Caption reads: "A San Francisco bar run for and by homosexuals is crowded with patrons who wear leather jackets, make a show of masculinity and scorn effeminate members of their world. Mural shows men in leather." Bill Eppridge—LIFE Magazine  June 26, 1964 issue of LIFE magazine. Caption for full-page photo reads: "Two fluffy-sweatered young men stroll in New York City, ignoring the stare of a 'straight' couple. Flagrant homosexuals are unabashed by reactions of shock, perplexity, disgust." Bill Eppridge—LIFE Magazine  June 26, 1964 issue of LIFE magazine. Caption for top left photo reads: "When Hollywood police closed 'gay' haunts near Santa Monica Blvd. bar, Barney Anthony put up a sign warning homosexuals. 'I don't like 'em,' he says. 'There's no excuse. They'll approach any nice-looking guy. Anybody does any recruiting, I say shoot him. Who cares?'" Bill Eppridge—LIFE Magazine  June 26, 1964 issue of LIFE magazine. Captions read: "A police officer in tight-pants disguise waits on a Hollywood street to be solicited by homosexuals cruising by in cars. Decoy officer and partner lead handcuffed homosexual away in Hollywood. When arrested for soliciting, he burst into tears." 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