Donald L. Carcieri v. Ken L. Salazar
555 U.S. 379 · Decided February 24, 2009 · 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 L. Carcieri v. Ken L. Salazar was decided on February 24, 2009 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indians, state jurisdiction” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 555 U.S. 379 · 129 S. Ct. 1058 · 172 L. Ed. 2d 791 · 2009 U.S. LEXIS 1633
- Docket number
- 07-526
- Decided
- February 24, 2009
- Argued
- November 3, 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Clarence Thomas
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians, state jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 25-461
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- 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 | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority |
Full case caption
Donald L. Carcieri, Governor of Rhode Island, et al. v. Ken L. Salazar, Secretary of the Interior, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2008-023, docket 2008-023-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians, state jurisdiction”
- Joan Wagnon v. Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation
- City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation of New York
- Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation v. Michael O. Leavitt
- Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community
- Nebraska v. Parker
- Nevada v. Floyd Hicks
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Jennifer Brunner v. Ohio Republican Party
- Cordell Pearson v. Afton CallahanAltered precedent
- 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
- 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