Azel P. Smith v. City of Jackson
544 U.S. 228 · Decided March 30, 2005 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Azel P. Smith v. City of Jackson was decided on March 30, 2005 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Employment discrimination (race, age, religion, illegitimacy, national origin, working conditions)” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 544 U.S. 228 · 125 S. Ct. 1536 · 161 L. Ed. 2d 410 · 2005 U.S. LEXIS 2931
- Docket number
- 03-1160
- Decided
- March 30, 2005
- Argued
- November 3, 2004
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Employment discrimination (race, age, religion, illegitimacy, national origin, working conditions)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Age Discrimination in Employment Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Special concurrence | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Did not participate: William H. Rehnquist.
Full case caption
Azel P. Smith, et al. v. City of Jackson, Mississippi, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2004-035, docket 2004-035-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Employment discrimination (race, age, religion, illegitimacy, national origin, working conditions)”
- Anthony Ash v. Tyson Foods, Inc.
- General Dynamics Land Systems, Inc. v. Dennis Cline
- Clackamas Gastroenterology Associates, P. C. v. Deborah Wells
- National Railroad Passenger Corporation v. Abner Morgan, Jr.
- Sprint/united Management Company v. Ellen Mendelsohn
- Federal Express Corporation v. Paul Holowecki
Cases on the same legal provision: Age Discrimination in Employment Act
- J. Daniel Kimel, Jr. v. Florida Board of RegentsLaw held unconstitutional
- Christine McKennon v. Nashville Banner Publishing Company
- Robert D. Gilmer v. Interstate/johnson Lane Corporation
- Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. v. Richard Sperling
- Lehman v. Nakshian
- Lorillard v. Pons
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Josue Leocal v. John D. Ashcroft
- Keyse G. Jama v. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- A. Neil Clark v. Sergio Suarez Martinez
- Garrison S. Johnson v. California
- Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation v. Michael O. Leavitt
- City of Rancho Palos Verdes v. Mark J. Abrams
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error