Nance v. Ward
Decided June 23, 2022. Elena Kagan delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 21-439 · 597 U.S. 159 (2022) · Cited 110 times
Holding
Title 42 U. S. C. §1983 is the procedural vehicle appropriate for a prisoner’s method-of-execution claim even if an order granting the relief requested would necessitate a change in state law.
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.
Majority · 5
- John G. Roberts, Jr.
- Sonia Sotomayor
- Elena Kagan · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Brett M. Kavanaugh
- Stephen G. Breyer
Dissenting · 4
- Clarence Thomas
- Samuel A. Alito, Jr.
- Neil M. Gorsuch
- Amy Coney Barrett · 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.
- Hill v. McDonough · 547 U.S. 573 (2006)
- Nelson v. Campbell · 541 U.S. 637 (2004)
- Heck v. Humphrey · 512 U.S. 477 (1994)
- Wilkinson v. Dotson · 544 U.S. 74 (2005)
- Monroe v. Pape · 365 U.S. 167 (1961)
- Glossip v. Gross · 576 U.S. 863 (2015)
- Harrington v. Richter · 562 U.S. 86 (2011)
- Preiser v. Rodriguez · 411 U.S. 475 (1973)
- Wallace v. Kato · 549 U.S. 384 (2007)
- Kolender v. Lawson · 461 U.S. 352 (1983)
- Zinermon v. Burch · 494 U.S. 113 (1990)
- United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co. · 200 U.S. 321 (1906)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Trump v. J. G. G. · 604 U.S. 670 (2025)
Official text
Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)
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Elena Kagan’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2022). 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).