Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl
Decided June 25, 2013. Samuel A. Alito Jr. delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 12-399 · 570 U.S. 637 (2013) · Cited 164 times
Holding
Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional; its formula can no longer be used as a basis for subjecting jurisdictions to preclearance.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 5–4.
Majority · 3
- Samuel A. Alito Jr. · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy
- John Glover Roberts Jr.
Concurring · 2
- Clarence Thomas
- Stephen Gerald Breyer · filed a concurring opinion
Dissenting · 4
- Antonin Scalia · filed a dissenting opinion
- Elena Kagan
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Sonia Sotomayor
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians v. Holyfield · 490 U.S. 30 (1989)
- Santosky v. Kramer · 455 U.S. 745 (1982)
- United States v. Lopez · 514 U.S. 549 (1995)
- Lehr v. Robertson · 463 U.S. 248 (1983)
- Troxel v. Granville · 530 U.S. 57 (2000)
- Smith v. Organization of Foster Families for Equality & Reform · 431 U.S. 816 (1977)
- Robinson v. Shell Oil Co. · 519 U.S. 337 (1997)
- Sosna v. Iowa · 419 U.S. 393 (1975)
- Morton v. Mancari · 417 U.S. 535 (1974)
- United Sav. Assn. of Tex. v. Timbers of Inwood Forest Associates, Ltd. · 484 U.S. 365 (1988)
- Santa Clara Pueblo v. Martinez · 436 U.S. 49 (1978)
- Quilloin v. Walcott · 434 U.S. 246 (1978)
- Parham v. J. R. · 442 U.S. 584 (1979)
- In Re Burrus · 136 U.S. 586 (1890)
- Graham County Soil & Water Conservation District v. United States Ex Rel. Wilson · 559 U.S. 280 (2010)
- United States v. Bornstein · 423 U.S. 303 (1976)
- United States v. Antelope · 430 U.S. 641 (1977)
- Cotton Petroleum Corp. v. New Mexico · 490 U.S. 163 (1989)
- United States v. Lara · 541 U.S. 193 (2004)
- United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co. · 200 U.S. 321 (1906)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Haaland v. Brackeen · 599 U.S. 255 (2023)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Samuel A. Alito Jr.’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2013). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).