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Henry W. Skinner v. Lynn Switzer

562 U.S. 521 · Decided March 7, 2011 · 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

Henry W. Skinner v. Lynn Switzer was decided on March 7, 2011 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg 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
562 U.S. 521 · 131 S. Ct. 1289 · 179 L. Ed. 2d 233 · 2011 U.S. LEXIS 1905
Docket number
09-9000
Decided
March 7, 2011
Argued
October 13, 2010
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
6–3
Majority opinion
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Opinion assigned by
John G. Roberts Jr.
How the case arrived
Certiorari
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

Full case caption

Henry W. Skinner, Petitioner v. Lynn Switzer, District Attorney for the 31ST Judicial District of Texas

SCDB identifiers: case 2010-027, docket 2010-027-01.

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Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)

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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