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Christian Legal Society Chapter of the University of California v. Leo P. Martinez

561 U.S. 661 · Decided June 28, 2010 · 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

Christian Legal Society Chapter of the University of California v. Leo P. Martinez was decided on June 28, 2010 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Free exercise of religion” in the First Amendment area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
561 U.S. 661 · 130 S. Ct. 2971 · 177 L. Ed. 2d 838 · 2010 U.S. LEXIS 5367
Docket number
08-1371
Decided
June 28, 2010
Argued
April 19, 2010
Court era
Roberts Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Affirmed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
Vote
5–4
Majority opinion
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Opinion assigned by
John Paul Stevens
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue area
First Amendment
Legal provision
First Amendment (free exercise of religion)
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice John Paul StevensConcurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Antonin ScaliaDissent
Justice Anthony M. KennedyConcurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Clarence ThomasDissent
Justice Ruth Bader GinsburgMajorityWrote an opinion
Justice Stephen G. BreyerMajority
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.Dissent
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.DissentWrote an opinion
Justice Sonia SotomayorMajority

Full case caption

Christian Legal Society Chapter of the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, aka Hastings Christian Fellowship v. Leo P. Martinez et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 2009-090, docket 2009-090-01.

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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