Mary Berghuis, Warden v. Diapolis Smith
Decided March 30, 2010. Ruth Bader Ginsburg delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 08-1402 · 559 U.S. 314 (2010) · Cited 194 times
Holding
The Sixth Circuit erred in ruling that the Michigan Supreme Court’s decision “involv an unreasonable application o clearly established Federal law,” § 2254(d)(1).
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 9–0.
Majority · 8
Concurring · 1
- Clarence Thomas · filed a concurring 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.
- Duren v. Missouri · 439 U.S. 357 (1979)
- Taylor v. Louisiana · 419 U.S. 522 (1975)
- United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co. · 200 U.S. 321 (1906)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2010). 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).