Michael Clingman, Secretary, Oklahoma State Election Board, et al. v. Andrea L. Beaver et al.
Decided May 23, 2005. Clarence Thomas delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 04-37 · 544 U.S. 581 (2005) · Cited 242 times
Holding
The judgment is reversed, 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 6–3.
Majority · 4
- Clarence Thomas · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy
- Antonin Scalia
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
Concurring · 2
- Sandra Day O'Connor · filed a concurring opinion
- Stephen Gerald Breyer
Dissenting · 3
- David Hackett Souter
- John Paul Stevens · filed a dissenting opinion
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“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.
- Tashjian v. Republican Party of Connecticut · 479 U.S. 208 (1986)
- Timmons v. Twin Cities Area New Party · 520 U.S. 351 (1997)
- California Democratic Party v. Jones · 530 U.S. 567 (2000)
- Anderson v. Celebrezze · 460 U.S. 780 (1983)
- Kusper v. Pontikes · 414 U.S. 51 (1973)
- Storer v. Brown · 415 U.S. 724 (1974)
- Eu v. San Francisco County Democratic Central Committee · 489 U.S. 214 (1989)
- Democratic Party of United States v. Wisconsin Ex Rel. La Follette · 450 U.S. 107 (1981)
- Burdick v. Takushi · 504 U.S. 428 (1992)
- Terry v. Adams · 345 U.S. 461 (1953)
- Reynolds v. Sims · 377 U.S. 533 (1964)
- United States v. Classic · 313 U.S. 299 (1941)
- Davis v. Bandemer · 478 U.S. 109 (1986)
- Bullock v. Carter · 405 U.S. 134 (1972)
- Taylor v. Freeland & Kronz · 503 U.S. 638 (1992)
- Rosario v. Rockefeller · 410 U.S. 752 (1973)
- Cooper Industries, Inc. v. Aviall Services, Inc. · 543 U.S. 157 (2004)
- National Ass'n for the Advancement of Colored People v. Button · 371 U.S. 415 (1963)
- National Ass'n for the Advancement of Colored People v. Alabama Ex Rel. Patterson · 357 U.S. 449 (1958)
- West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette · 319 U.S. 624 (1943)
- Keyishian v. Board of Regents of Univ. of State of NY · 385 U.S. 589 (1967)
- Wesberry v. Sanders · 376 U.S. 1 (1964)
- National Ass'n for the Advancement of Colored People v. Claiborne Hardware Co. · 458 U.S. 886 (1982)
- Smith v. Allwright · 321 U.S. 649 (1944)
- Gray v. Sanders · 372 U.S. 368 (1963)
- Norman v. Reed · 502 U.S. 279 (1992)
- Vieth v. Jubelirer · 541 U.S. 267 (2004)
- Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee v. Federal Election Commission · 518 U.S. 604 (1996)
- Ray v. Blair · 343 U.S. 214 (1952)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Washington State Grange v. Washington State Republican Party · 552 U.S. 442 (2008)
- Crawford v. Marion County Election Board · 553 U.S. 181 (2008)
- League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry · 548 U.S. 399 (2006)
- Nevada Commission on Ethics v. Carrigan · 564 U.S. 117 (2011)
- Polar Tankers, Inc. v. City of Valdez, Alaska · 557 U.S. 1 (2009)
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 (2005). 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).