The U.S. Supreme Court issued its long-awaited decision in United States v. Mead Corp., No. 99-1434, 533 U.S. ___ (June 18, 2001) concerning whether federal courts are obligated to give so-called Chevron deference to the positions of the U.S. Customs Service in binding rulings. In an 8 to 1 vote, the Supreme Court ruled that courts are not obligated to give Chevron deference to Customs’ binding rulings. The Court noted that binding rulings are importer specific and do not carry the force of law. According to the Court, tariff classification rulings are to be treated like "interpretations contained in policy statements, agency manuals, and enforcement guidelines."