Carney v. Adams

Decided December 10, 2020. Stephen Gerald Breyer delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 19-309 · 592 U.S. 53 (2020) · Cited 257 times

Holding

Because plaintiff Adams has not shown that he was “able and ready” to apply for a judicial vacancy in the imminent future, Gratz v. Bollinger, 539 U. S. 244, 262, he has failed to demonstrate Article III standing to challenge the Delaware Constitution’s political balance requirement for appointments to the State’s major courts.

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 8–0.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. The lineup is the syllabus’s disposition of who wrote and joined each opinion. Source: the opinion’s syllabus (supremecourt.gov).

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.

• Gratz v. Bollinger · 539 U.S. 244 (2003)
• Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife · 504 U.S. 555 (1992)
• Hollingsworth v. Perry · 570 U.S. 693 (2013)
• Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Pena · 515 U.S. 200 (1995)
• Friends of the Earth, Inc. v. Laidlaw Environmental Services (TOC), Inc. · 528 U.S. 167 (2000)
• Lance v. Coffman · 549 U.S. 437 (2007)
• Warth v. Seldin · 422 U.S. 490 (1975)
• International Brotherhood of Teamsters v. United States · 431 U.S. 324 (1977)
• Flast v. Cohen · 392 U.S. 83 (1968)
• Arizonans for Official English v. Arizona · 520 U.S. 43 (1997)
• Schlesinger v. Reservists Committee to Stop the War · 418 U.S. 208 (1974)
• United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co. · 200 U.S. 321 (1906)
• United States v. Richardson · 418 U.S. 166 (1974)
• Federal Election Commission v. Akins · 524 U.S. 11 (1998)
• Coleman v. Miller · 307 U.S. 433 (1939)
• Leavitt v. Jane L. · 518 U.S. 137 (1996)
• Elkins v. Moreno · 435 U.S. 647 (1978)
• Hooper v. Bernalillo County Assessor · 472 U.S. 612 (1985)
• Sporhase v. Nebraska Ex Rel. Douglas · 458 U.S. 941 (1982)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• Murthy v. Missouri · 603 U.S. 43 (2024)

Official text

Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)

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Stephen Gerald Breyer’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court

Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2020). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-08-15. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).