Gary Kent Jones v. Linda K. Flowers, et al.
Decided April 26, 2006. John Glover Roberts Jr. delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 04-1477 · 547 U.S. 220 (2006) · Cited 901 times
Holding
A plaintiff in a retaliatory-prosecution action must plead and show the absence of probable cause for pressing the underlying criminal charges.
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 5–3.
Majority · 5
- John Glover Roberts Jr. · delivered the opinion of the Court
- David Hackett Souter
- John Paul Stevens
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Stephen Gerald Breyer
Dissenting · 3
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy
- Antonin Scalia
- Clarence Thomas · 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.
- Mullane v. Central Hanover Bank & Trust Co. · 339 U.S. 306 (1950)
- Dusenbery v. United States · 534 U.S. 161 (2002)
- Robinson v. Hanrahan · 409 U.S. 38 (1972)
- Covey v. Town of Somers · 351 U.S. 141 (1956)
- Greene v. Lindsey · 456 U.S. 444 (1982)
- Mennonite Board of Missions v. Adams · 462 U.S. 791 (1983)
- Tulsa Professional Collection Services, Inc. v. Pope · 485 U.S. 478 (1988)
- Miranda v. Arizona · 384 U.S. 436 (1966)
- Walker v. City of Hutchinson · 352 U.S. 112 (1956)
- Dickerson v. United States · 530 U.S. 428 (2000)
- Schroeder v. City of New York · 371 U.S. 208 (1962)
- The MARY, Stafford, Mastf · 13 U.S. 126 (1815)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Maples v. Thomas · 565 U.S. 266 (2012)
- United Student Aid Funds, Inc. v. Espinosa · 559 U.S. 260 (2010)
- District Attorney's Office for the Third Judicial District v. Osborne · 557 U.S. 52 (2009)
- Tyler v. Hennepin County · 598 U.S. 631 (2023)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
Explore from here
John Glover Roberts Jr.’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2006). 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).