John Robertson v. United States ex Rel. Wykenna Watson
560 U.S. 272 · Decided May 24, 2010 · 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 Robertson v. United States ex Rel. Wykenna Watson was decided on May 24, 2010 by a vote of 5–4. SCDB codes the disposition as “petition denied or appeal dismissed.” The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Contempt of court or Congress” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 560 U.S. 272 · 130 S. Ct. 2184 · 176 L. Ed. 2d 1024 · 2010 U.S. LEXIS 4169
- Docket number
- 08-6261
- Decided
- May 24, 2010
- Argued
- March 31, 2010
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Petition denied or appeal dismissed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Contempt of court or Congress
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
John Robertson v. United States ex Rel. Wykenna Watson
SCDB identifiers: case 2009-057, docket 2009-057-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Contempt of court or Congress”
- Michael D. Turner v. Rebecca L. Rogers
- William R. Pounders v. Penelope Watson
- International Union v. John L. Bagwell
- Hicks v. Feiock
- Young v. United States ex Rel. Vuitton et Fils S. A.
- United States v. Wilson
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (due process)
- Federal Communications Commission v. Fox Television Stations, Inc.
- Keshia Cherie Ashford Dixon v. United States
- Kerry v. Din
- Johnson v. United StatesAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Yaser Esam Hamdi and Esam Fouad Hamdi as Next Friend of Yaser Esam Hamdi v. Donald H. Rumsfeld
- Welch v. United States
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- George Porter, Jr. v. Bill McCollum
- Michigan v. Jeremy Fisher
- Jeffrey A. Beard v. Joseph J. Kindler
- E. K. McDaniel v. Troy Brown
- Keith Smith v. Frank G. Spisak, Jr.
- Marcus A. Wellons v. Hilton Hall
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