Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense v. Jose Padilla and Donna R. Newman, as Next Friend of Jose Padilla
Decided June 28, 2004. William Hubbs Rehnquist delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 03-1027 · 542 U.S. 426 (2004) · Cited 3,215 times
Holding
The judgment is vacated, and the case is remanded.
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
- William Hubbs Rehnquist · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Antonin Scalia
- Clarence Thomas
Concurring · 2
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy · filed a concurring opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
Dissenting · 4
- David Hackett Souter
- John Paul Stevens · filed a dissenting opinion
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Stephen Gerald Breyer
“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.
- Braden v. 30th Judicial Circuit Court of Kentucky · 410 U.S. 484 (1973)
- Strait v. Laird · 406 U.S. 341 (1972)
- Ex Parte Endo · 323 U.S. 283 (1945)
- Wales v. Whitney · 114 U.S. 564 (1885)
- Ahrens v. Clark · 335 U.S. 188 (1948)
- United States Ex Rel. Toth v. Quarles · 350 U.S. 11 (1955)
- Hensley v. Municipal Court, San Jose-Milpitas Judicial Dist., Santa Clara Cty. · 411 U.S. 345 (1973)
- Burns v. Wilson · 346 U.S. 137 (1953)
- Harris v. Nelson · 394 U.S. 286 (1969)
- Garlotte v. Fordice · 515 U.S. 39 (1995)
- Schlanger v. Seamans · 401 U.S. 487 (1971)
- California Department of Corrections v. Morales · 514 U.S. 499 (1995)
- Watts v. Indiana · 338 U.S. 49 (1949)
- Wainwright v. Greenfield · 474 U.S. 284 (1986)
- Middendorf v. Henry · 425 U.S. 25 (1976)
- Carbo v. United States · 364 U.S. 611 (1961)
- Carafas v. LaVallee · 391 U.S. 234 (1968)
- Kontrick v. Ryan · 540 U.S. 443 (2004)
- Jones v. Cunningham · 371 U.S. 236 (1963)
- United States v. Hayman · 342 U.S. 205 (1952)
- Peyton v. Rowe · 391 U.S. 54 (1968)
- Scarborough v. Principi · 541 U.S. 401 (2004)
- Ex Parte Bollman and Swartwout · 8 U.S. 75 (1807)
- Ex Parte Quirin · 317 U.S. 1 (1942)
- Baldwin v. Hale · 68 U.S. 223 (1864)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Cochise Consultancy, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Hunt · 587 U.S. 262 (2019)
- Boumediene v. Bush · 553 U.S. 723 (2008)
- Trump v. J. G. G. · 604 U.S. 670 (2025)
- Pulsifer v. United States · 601 U.S. 124 (2024)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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William Hubbs Rehnquist’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2004). 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).