District of Columbia v. Heller
554 U.S. 570 · Decided June 26, 2008 · 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
District of Columbia v. Heller was decided on June 26, 2008 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Miscellaneous criminal procedure” in the Criminal Procedure area. SCDB records that the Court declared a municipal or other local ordinance unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 554 U.S. 570 · 128 S. Ct. 2783 · 171 L. Ed. 2d 637 · 2008 U.S. LEXIS 5268
- Docket number
- 07-290
- Decided
- June 26, 2008
- Argued
- March 18, 2008
- 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
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Miscellaneous criminal procedure
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Second Amendment
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A municipal or other local ordinance
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority |
Full case caption
District of Columbia v. Heller
SCDB identifiers: case 2007-071, docket 2007-071-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Miscellaneous criminal procedure”
- Otis McDonald v. City of ChicagoAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Charles B. Miller v. Richard A. French
- Scott Leslie Carmell v. TexasLaw held unconstitutional
- New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. BruenLaw held unconstitutional
- Reed v. Goertz
- Smith v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Second Amendment
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- James D. Logan v. United States
- Brian Michael Gall v. United States
- Michael A. Watson v. United States
- Derrick Kimbrough v. United States
- Randall Wright v. Joseph L. Van Patten
- Stephen Danforth v. Minnesota
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