Cordell Pearson v. Afton Callahan
555 U.S. 223 · Decided January 21, 2009 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Cordell Pearson v. Afton Callahan was decided on January 21, 2009 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability under civil rights acts” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 555 U.S. 223 · 129 S. Ct. 808 · 172 L. Ed. 2d 565 · 2009 U.S. LEXIS 591
- Docket number
- 07-751
- Decided
- January 21, 2009
- Argued
- October 14, 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Samuel A. Alito Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability under civil rights acts
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | 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 | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Cordell Pearson, et al. v. Afton Callahan
SCDB identifiers: case 2008-013, docket 2008-013-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- John Van de Kamp v. Thomas Lee Goldstein
- Keith Haywood v. Curtis DrownLaw held unconstitutional
- Jamey L. Wilkins v. Officer Gaddy
- Los Angeles County v. Craig Arthur Humphries
- Andre Wallace v. Kristen Kato
- Michelle Oritz v. Paula Jordan
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Lisa Fitzgerald v. Barnstable School Committee
- Reginald A. Wilkinson v. William Dwight Dotson
- Inyo County v. Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony
- Marian Johnson v. Kristine L. Fankell
- National Private Truck Council, Inc. v. Oklahoma Tax Commission
- Reed v. Goertz
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Jennifer Brunner v. Ohio Republican Party
- Lisa Fitzgerald v. Barnstable School Committee
- Vicky S. Crawford v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County
- John Van de Kamp v. Thomas Lee Goldstein
- Donald L. Carcieri v. Ken L. Salazar
- Daniel Girmai Negusie v. Eric H. Holder, Jr.
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