Beatrice Branch, et al. v. John Robert Smith et al.
Decided March 31, 2003. Antonin Scalia delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 01-1437 · 538 U.S. 254 (2003) · Cited 257 times
Holding
The judgment is affirmed.
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 7–2.
Majority · 3
- Antonin Scalia · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
Concurring · 4
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy · filed a concurring opinion
- David Hackett Souter
- John Paul Stevens · filed a concurring opinion
- Stephen Gerald Breyer
Dissenting · 2
- Clarence Thomas
- Sandra Day O'Connor · filed a dissenting opinion
“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.
- Growe v. Emison · 507 U.S. 25 (1993)
- Baker v. Carr · 369 U.S. 186 (1962)
- Posadas v. National City Bank · 296 U.S. 497 (1936)
- Wesberry v. Sanders · 376 U.S. 1 (1964)
- New York v. United States · 505 U.S. 144 (1992)
- Hathorn v. Lovorn · 457 U.S. 255 (1982)
- Smiley v. Holm · 285 U.S. 355 (1932)
- Wise v. Lipscomb · 437 U.S. 535 (1978)
- Georgia v. United States · 411 U.S. 526 (1973)
- Pennhurst State School and Hospital v. Halderman · 465 U.S. 89 (1984)
- Morton v. Mancari · 417 U.S. 535 (1974)
- Printz v. United States · 521 U.S. 898 (1997)
- Connor v. Finch · 431 U.S. 407 (1977)
- White v. Weiser · 412 U.S. 783 (1973)
- Abrams v. Johnson · 521 U.S. 74 (1997)
- Reynolds v. Sims · 377 U.S. 533 (1964)
- Colegrove v. Green · 328 U.S. 549 (1946)
- Upham v. Seamon · 456 U.S. 37 (1982)
- Morris v. Gressette · 432 U.S. 491 (1977)
- Clark v. Roemer · 500 U.S. 646 (1991)
- United States v. Frady · 456 U.S. 152 (1982)
- Hope v. Pelzer · 536 U.S. 730 (2002)
- Vermont Agency of Natural Resources v. United States Ex Rel. Stevens · 529 U.S. 765 (2000)
- Regional Rail Reorganization Act Cases · 419 U.S. 102 (1974)
- Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States · 143 U.S. 457 (1892)
- English v. General Electric Co. · 496 U.S. 72 (1990)
- Allen v. State Board of Elections · 393 U.S. 544 (1969)
- Freightliner Corp. v. Myrick · 514 U.S. 280 (1995)
- Radzanower v. Touche Ross & Co. · 426 U.S. 148 (1976)
- Whitcomb v. Chavis · 403 U.S. 124 (1971)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Comm'n · 576 U.S. 787 (2015)
- National Ass'n of Home Builders v. Defenders of Wildlife · 551 U.S. 644 (2007)
- Forest Grove School District v. T. A. · 557 U.S. 230 (2009)
- Financial Oversight and Management Bd. for Puerto Rico v. Aurelius Investment, LLC · 590 U.S. 448 (2020)
- League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry · 548 U.S. 399 (2006)
- Riley v. Kennedy · 553 U.S. 406 (2008)
- Hamdan v. Rumsfeld · 548 U.S. 557 (2006)
- Vieth v. Jubelirer · 541 U.S. 267 (2004)
- Carcieri v. Salazar · 555 U.S. 379 (2009)
- Georgia v. Ashcroft, Attorney General · 539 U.S. 461 (2003)
- Lockhart v. United States · 546 U.S. 142 (2005)
- Pugin v. Garland · 599 U.S. 600 (2023)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2003). 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).