John D. Ashcroft v. Abdullah Al-Kidd
563 U.S. 731 · Decided May 31, 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
John D. Ashcroft v. Abdullah Al-Kidd was decided on May 31, 2011 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Governmental liability” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 563 U.S. 731 · 131 S. Ct. 2074 · 179 L. Ed. 2d 1149 · 2011 U.S. LEXIS 4021
- Docket number
- 10-98
- Decided
- May 31, 2011
- Argued
- March 2, 2011
- 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
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 18-3144
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Elena Kagan.
Full case caption
John D. Ashcroft, Petitioner v. Abdullah Al-Kidd
SCDB identifiers: case 2010-052, docket 2010-052-01.
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Other cases on “Governmental liability”
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Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Costco Wholesale Corporation v. Omega, S.A.
- Jason M. Ransom v. Fia Card Services, N.A.
- Chase Bank USA, Na. v. James A. McCoy
- CSX Transportation, Inc. v. Alabama Department of Revenue
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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