Holt v. Hobbs
574 U.S. 352 · Decided January 20, 2015 · 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
Holt v. Hobbs was decided on January 20, 2015 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Free exercise of religion” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 574 U.S. 352 · 135 S. Ct. 853 · 190 L. Ed. 2d 747 · 2015 U.S. LEXIS 626
- Docket number
- 13-6827
- Decided
- January 20, 2015
- Argued
- October 7, 2014
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Samuel A. Alito Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Free exercise of religion
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Religious Land Use & Institutionalized Persons Act
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority |
Full case caption
Holt v. Hobbs
SCDB identifiers: case 2014-003, docket 2014-003-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Free exercise of religion”
- Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores
- Zubik v. Burwell
- Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
- Christian Legal Society Chapter of the University of California v. Leo P. Martinez
- Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru
- Tanzin v. Tanvir
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Dep't of Homeland Sec. v. Maclean
- Williams–yulee v. the Florida Bar
- Reed v. Town of GilbertLaw held unconstitutional
- Walker v. Texas Division
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