David L. Nelson v. Donal Campbell
541 U.S. 637 · Decided May 24, 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
David L. Nelson v. Donal Campbell was decided on May 24, 2004 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability under civil rights acts” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 541 U.S. 637 · 124 S. Ct. 2117 · 158 L. Ed. 2d 924 · 2004 U.S. LEXIS 3680
- Docket number
- 03-6821
- Decided
- May 24, 2004
- Argued
- March 29, 2004
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- 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
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| 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
David L. Nelson v. Donal Campbell, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2003-063, docket 2003-063-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- Shakur Muhammad v. Mark Close
- City of Rancho Palos Verdes v. Mark J. Abrams
- Domino's Pizza, Inc. v. John McDonald
- Larry Hope v. Mark Pelzer
- Clarence E. Hill v. James R. McDonough
- Correctional Services Corporation v. John E. Malesko
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Reginald A. Wilkinson v. William Dwight Dotson
- Inyo County v. Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony
- Lisa Fitzgerald v. Barnstable School Committee
- Marian Johnson v. Kristine L. Fankell
- National Private Truck Council, Inc. v. Oklahoma Tax Commission
- Felder v. Casey
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Jo Anne B. Barnhart v. Pauline Thomas
- Raytheon Company v. Joel Hernandez
- General Dynamics Land Systems, Inc. v. Dennis Cline
- Shakur Muhammad v. Mark Close
- United States v. Billy Jo Lara
- Tennessee v. George Lane
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