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Donald H. Rumsfeld v. Jose Padilla and Donna R. Newman

542 U.S. 426 · Decided June 28, 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

Donald H. Rumsfeld v. Jose Padilla and Donna R. Newman was decided on June 28, 2004 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist 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. 426 · 124 S. Ct. 2711 · 159 L. Ed. 2d 513 · 2004 U.S. LEXIS 4759
Docket number
03-1027
Decided
June 28, 2004
Argued
April 28, 2004
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed and remanded
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
5–4
Majority opinion
William H. Rehnquist
Opinion assigned by
William H. Rehnquist
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue (SCDB)
Habeas corpus
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

Full case caption

Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense v. Jose Padilla and Donna R. Newman, as Next Friend of Jose Padilla

SCDB identifiers: case 2003-084, docket 2003-084-01.

Other cases on “Habeas corpus”

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Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)

Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)

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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