John D. Ashcroft v. Javaid Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 · Decided May 18, 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
John D. Ashcroft v. Javaid Iqbal was decided on May 18, 2009 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 “No merits, no substantial federal question” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 556 U.S. 662 · 129 S. Ct. 1937 · 173 L. Ed. 2d 868 · 2009 U.S. LEXIS 3472
- Docket number
- 07-1015
- Decided
- May 18, 2009
- Argued
- December 10, 2008
- 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)
- No merits, no substantial federal question
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- Type of law
- Court rules
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| 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
John D. Ashcroft, Former Attorney General, et al. v. Javaid Iqbal et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2008-056, docket 2008-056-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
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- Keith Bowles v. Harry RussellAltered precedent
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Edward Nathaniel Bell v. Loretta K. Kelly
- Carlos Jimenez v. Nathaniel Quarterman
- Priscilla Summers v. Earth Island Institute
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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