Gil Garcetti v. Richard Ceballos
547 U.S. 410 · Decided May 30, 2006 · 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
Gil Garcetti v. Richard Ceballos was decided on May 30, 2006 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “First Amendment, miscellaneous” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 547 U.S. 410 · 126 S. Ct. 1951 · 164 L. Ed. 2d 689 · 2006 U.S. LEXIS 4341
- Docket number
- 04-473
- Decided
- May 30, 2006
- Argued
- October 12, 2005
- Reargued
- March 21, 2006
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- 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
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- First Amendment, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| 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
Gil Garcetti, et al. v. Richard Ceballos
SCDB identifiers: case 2005-058, docket 2005-058-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”
- Jeffrey A. Beard v. Ronald Banks
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- Donald H. Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, Inc.
- Michael Clingman v. Andrea L. Beaver
- Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association v. Brentwood Academy
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Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Neil Randall v. William H. SorrellLaw held unconstitutional
- Ulysses Tory v. Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr.
- Mike Johanns v. Livestock Marketing Association
- Gary Davenport v. Washington Education Association
- Deborah Morse v. Joseph Frederick
- John D. Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. v. Federal Election Commission
- Alberto R. Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao Do Vegetal
- Donald H. Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, Inc.
- Michael Hartman v. William G. Moore, Jr.
- Neil Randall v. William H. SorrellLaw held unconstitutional
- Jeffrey A. Beard v. Ronald Banks
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