Betty Mitchell v. Gregory Esparza
540 U.S. 12 · Decided November 3, 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
Betty Mitchell v. Gregory Esparza was decided on November 3, 2003 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Habeas corpus” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 540 U.S. 12 · 124 S. Ct. 7 · 157 L. Ed. 2d 263 · 2003 U.S. LEXIS 8191
- Docket number
- 02-1369
- Decided
- November 3, 2003
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Habeas corpus
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Betty Mitchell, Warden v. Gregory Esparza
SCDB identifiers: case 2003-002, docket 2003-002-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Habeas corpus”
- Hernan O'Ryan Castro v. United States
- Janette Price v. Duyonn Andre Vincent
- Doug Dretke v. Michael Wayne Haley
- Joseph Massaro v. United States
- Jeanne Woodford v. Robert Frederick Garceau
- Cheryl K. Pliler v. Richard Herman Ford
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- George H. Baldwin v. Michael Reese
- Michael Yarborough v. Michael Alvarado
- Ricky Bell v. Gary Bradford Cone
- Jill L. Brown v. William Charles Payton
- Robert Johnson, Jr. v. United States
- John A. Pace v. David Diguglielmo
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Michael Yarborough v. Lionel E. Gentry
- United States v. Lashawn Lowell Banks
- Maryland v. Joseph Jermaine Pringle
- Hernan O'Ryan Castro v. United States
- Illinois v. Robert S. Lidster
- John J. Fellers v. United States
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