Beatrice Branch v. John Robert Smith
538 U.S. 254 · Decided March 31, 2003 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Beatrice Branch v. John Robert Smith was decided on March 31, 2003 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Voting Rights Act of 1965 and amendments” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 538 U.S. 254 · 123 S. Ct. 1429 · 155 L. Ed. 2d 407 · 2003 U.S. LEXIS 2709
- Docket number
- 01-1437
- Decided
- March 31, 2003
- Argued
- December 10, 2002
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Voting Rights Act of 1965 and amendments
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Voting Rights Act of 1965
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Concurrence | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Concurrence |
Full case caption
Beatrice Branch, et al. v. John Robert Smith et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2002-036, docket 2002-036-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Voting Rights Act of 1965 and amendments”
- Georgia v. John Ashcroft
- Janet Reno v. Bossier Parish School Board
- League of United Latin American Citizens v. Rick Perry
- Vicky M. Lopez v. Monterey County
- Bob Riley v. Yvonne Kennedy
- City of Monroe v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Voting Rights Act of 1965
- Rick Perry v. Shannon Perez
- George Voinovich v. Barney Quilter
- Joan Growe v. James Emison
- East Carroll Parish School Board v. Marshall
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Fredy Orlando Ventura
- Jo Anne B. Barnhart v. Peabody Coal Company
- David Meyer v. Emma Mary Ellen Holley
- Washington State Department of Social and Health Services v. Guardianship Estate of Danny Keffeler
- United States v. White Mountain Apache Tribe
- United States v. Navajo Nation
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