Ben Ysursa v. Pocatello Education Association
555 U.S. 353 · Decided February 24, 2009 · 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
Ben Ysursa v. Pocatello Education Association was decided on February 24, 2009 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “First Amendment, miscellaneous” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 555 U.S. 353 · 129 S. Ct. 1093 · 172 L. Ed. 2d 770 · 2009 U.S. LEXIS 1632
- Docket number
- 07-869
- Decided
- February 24, 2009
- Argued
- November 3, 2008
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- First Amendment, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority |
Full case caption
Ben Ysursa, Idaho Secretary of State, et al. v. Pocatello Education Association et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2008-022, docket 2008-022-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”
- Pleasant Grove City v. Summum
- New York State Board of Elections v. Margarita Lopez Torres
- United States v. Robert J. StevensLaw held unconstitutional
- Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association v. Brentwood Academy
- Nevada Commission on Ethics v. Michael A. Carrigan
- Borough of Duryea v. Charles J Guarnieri
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Daniel B. Locke v. Edward A. Karass
- United States v. Michael Williams
- Citizens United v. Federal Election CommissionAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- John Doe #1 v. Sam Reed
- Deborah Morse v. Joseph Frederick
- Gary Davenport v. Washington Education Association
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
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