Keith Bowles v. Harry Russell, Warden

Decided June 14, 2007. Clarence Thomas delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 06-5306 · 551 U.S. 205 (2007) · Cited 3,839 times

Holding

Bowles’ untimely notice of appeal—though filed in reliance upon the District Court’s order—deprived the Sixth Circuit of jurisdiction.

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.

“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.

• Kontrick v. Ryan · 540 U.S. 443 (2004)
• Arbaugh v. Y & H Corp. · 546 U.S. 500 (2006)
• Thompson v. Immigration & Naturalization Service · 375 U.S. 384 (1964)
• Eberhart v. United States · 546 U.S. 12 (2005)
• Browder v. Director, Dept. of Corrections of Ill. · 434 U.S. 257 (1978)
• United States v. Robinson · 361 U.S. 220 (1960)
• Osterneck v. Ernst & Whinney · 489 U.S. 169 (1989)
• Scarborough v. Principi · 541 U.S. 401 (2004)
• Houston v. Lack · 487 U.S. 266 (1988)
• Griggs v. Provident Consumer Discount Co. · 459 U.S. 56 (1982)
• Harris Truck Lines, Inc. v. Cherry Meat Packers, Inc. · 371 U.S. 215 (1962)
• Barnhart v. Peabody Coal Co. · 537 U.S. 149 (2003)
• Hohn v. United States · 524 U.S. 236 (1998)
• Federal Election Commission v. NRA Political Victory Fund · 513 U.S. 88 (1994)
• Schacht v. United States · 398 U.S. 58 (1970)
• Day v. McDonough · 547 U.S. 198 (2006)
• Steel Co. v. Citizens for a Better Environment · 523 U.S. 83 (1998)
• St. Mary's Honor Center v. Hicks · 509 U.S. 502 (1993)
• Irwin v. Department of Veterans Affairs · 498 U.S. 89 (1990)
• Torres v. Oakland Scavenger Co. · 487 U.S. 312 (1988)
• Rockwell International Corp. v. United States · 549 U.S. 457 (2007)

Cited by

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

• Henderson v. Shinseki · 562 U.S. 428 (2011)
• Perry v. Merit Systems Protection Bd. · 582 U.S. 420 (2017)
• John R. Sand & Gravel Co. v. United States · 552 U.S. 130 (2008)
• Parrish v. United States · 605 U.S. 376 (2025)
• Ray Haluch Gravel Co. v. Cent. Pension Fund of the Int'l Union of Operating Eng'rs & Participating Emp'rs · 571 U.S. 177 (2014)
• Manrique v. United States · 581 U.S. 116 (2017)
• Greenlaw v. United States · 554 U.S. 237 (2008)
• Sebelius v. Auburn Regional Medical Center · 568 U.S. 145 (2013)
• United States v. Kwai Fun Wong · 575 U.S. 402 (2015)
• Harrow v. Department of Defense · 601 U.S. 480 (2024)
• Cameron v. EMW Women's Surgical Center, P. S. C. · 595 U.S. 267 (2022)
• Montejo v. Louisiana · 556 U.S. 778 (2009)
• United States v. Denedo · 556 U.S. 904 (2009)
• Union Pacific R. Co. v. Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen Gen. Comm. of Adjustment, Central Region · 558 U.S. 67 (2009)
• Fort Bend County v. Davis · 587 U.S. 541 (2019)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

Explore from here

Clarence Thomas’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court

Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2007). 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).