Cheryl K. Pliler v. Richard Herman Ford
542 U.S. 225 · Decided June 21, 2004 · 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
Cheryl K. Pliler v. Richard Herman Ford was decided on June 21, 2004 by a vote of 7–2. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Habeas corpus” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 542 U.S. 225 · 124 S. Ct. 2441 · 159 L. Ed. 2d 338 · 2004 U.S. LEXIS 4384
- Docket number
- 03-221
- Decided
- June 21, 2004
- Argued
- April 26, 2004
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Clarence Thomas
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- 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 | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Cheryl K. Pliler, Warden v. Richard Herman Ford
SCDB identifiers: case 2003-077, docket 2003-077-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Habeas corpus”
- Robert James Tennard v. Doug Dretke
- Donald H. Rumsfeld v. Jose Padilla and Donna R. Newman
- Shafiq Rasul v. George W. Bush
- Flora Holland v. Jessie L. Jackson
- Doug Dretke v. Michael Wayne Haley
- Hernan O'Ryan Castro v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Michael Yarborough v. Michael Alvarado
- George H. Baldwin v. Michael Reese
- 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
- Betty Mitchell v. Gregory Esparza
- United States v. Lashawn Lowell Banks
- Maryland v. Joseph Jermaine Pringle
- Hernan O'Ryan Castro v. United States
- Illinois v. Robert S. Lidster
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