National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra
Decided June 26, 2018. Clarence Thomas delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 16-1140 · 585 U.S. 755 (2018) · Cited 258 times
Holding
Petitioners are likely to succeed on their claim that the California Reproductive Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care, and Transparency Act (FACT Act) violates the First Amendment.
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.
- Clarence Thomas · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Samuel A. Alito, Jr.
- Neil M. Gorsuch
- Anthony M. Kennedy · filed a concurring opinion
Dissenting · 4
- Sonia Sotomayor
- Elena Kagan
- Stephen G. Breyer · 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. 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.
- Zauderer v. Office of Disciplinary Counsel of the Supreme Court of Ohio · 471 U.S. 626 (1985)
- Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey · 505 U.S. 833 (1992)
- Riley v. National Federation of Blind of North Carolina, Inc. · 487 U.S. 781 (1988)
- Sorrell v. IMS Health Inc. · 564 U.S. 552 (2011)
- Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists · 476 U.S. 747 (1986)
- Semler v. Oregon State Board of Dental Examiners · 294 U.S. 608 (1935)
- Ibanez v. Florida Dept. of Business and Professional Regulation, Bd. of Accountancy · 512 U.S. 136 (1994)
- National Ass'n for the Advancement of Colored People v. Button · 371 U.S. 415 (1963)
- Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission · 512 U.S. 622 (1994)
- Ohralik v. Ohio State Bar Assn. · 436 U.S. 447 (1978)
- City of Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, Inc. · 462 U.S. 416 (1983)
- In re R. M. J. · 455 U.S. 191 (1982)
- Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Assn. · 564 U.S. 786 (2011)
- Milavetz, Gallop & Milavetz, P. A. v. United States · 559 U.S. 229 (2010)
- Virginia State Board of Pharmacy v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, Inc. · 425 U.S. 748 (1976)
- Whalen v. Roe · 429 U.S. 589 (1977)
- Wooley v. Maynard · 430 U.S. 705 (1977)
- City of Cincinnati v. Discovery Network, Inc. · 507 U.S. 410 (1993)
- Dent v. West Virginia · 129 U.S. 114 (1889)
- Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project · 561 U.S. 1 (2010)
- United States v. Alvarez · 567 U.S. 709 (2012)
- New York Times Co. v. Sullivan · 376 U.S. 254 (1964)
- Williamson v. Lee Optical of Oklahoma, Inc. · 348 U.S. 483 (1955)
- Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. v. Public Service Commission · 447 U.S. 557 (1980)
- West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette · 319 U.S. 624 (1943)
- Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission · 558 U.S. 310 (2010)
- Police Dept. of Chicago v. Mosley · 408 U.S. 92 (1972)
- City of Chicago v. Morales · 527 U.S. 41 (1999)
- Washington State Grange v. Washington State Republican Party · 552 U.S. 442 (2008)
- United States v. Stevens · 559 U.S. 460 (2010)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Vidal v. Elster · 602 U.S. 286 (2024)
Official text
Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)
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Clarence Thomas’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2018). 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).