Johnson v. Guzman Chavez
Decided June 29, 2021. Samuel A. Alito Jr. delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 19-897 · 594 U.S. 523 (2021) · Cited 224 times
Holding
The detention of an alien ordered removed from the United States who reenters without authorization is governed by 8 U. S. C. §1231.
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 6–3.
Majority · 4
- John G. Roberts, Jr.
- Samuel A. Alito, Jr. · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Brett M. Kavanaugh
- Amy Coney Barrett
Concurring · 2
- Clarence Thomas · filed an opinion concurring in the judgment
- Neil M. Gorsuch
Dissenting · 3
- Sonia Sotomayor
- Elena Kagan
- Stephen G. Breyer · filed a dissenting opinion
“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.
- Zadvydas v. Davis · 533 U.S. 678 (2001)
- Fernandez-Vargas v. Gonzales · 548 U.S. 30 (2006)
- Immigration & Naturalization Service v. Aguirre-Aguirre · 526 U.S. 415 (1999)
- Chevron U. S. A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. · 467 U.S. 837 (1984)
- Arbaugh v. Y & H Corp. · 546 U.S. 500 (2006)
- Immigration & Naturalization Service v. Cardoza-Fonseca · 480 U.S. 421 (1987)
- Bennett v. Spear · 520 U.S. 154 (1997)
- United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co. · 200 U.S. 321 (1906)
Official text
Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.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 (2021). 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).