Jon B. Cutter v. Reginald Wilkinson
544 U.S. 709 · Decided May 31, 2005 · 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
Jon B. Cutter v. Reginald Wilkinson was decided on May 31, 2005 unanimously (9–0). 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 “Establishment of religion” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 544 U.S. 709 · 125 S. Ct. 2113 · 161 L. Ed. 2d 1020 · 2005 U.S. LEXIS 4346
- Docket number
- 03-9877
- Decided
- May 31, 2005
- Argued
- March 21, 2005
- Court era
- Rehnquist 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
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Establishment of religion
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- 42 U.S.C. § 2000
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Jon B. Cutter, et al. v. Reginald Wilkinson, Director, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2004-052, docket 2004-052-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Establishment of religion”
- Thomas Van Orden v. Rick Perry
- McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union of KentuckyLaw held unconstitutional
- Good News Club v. Milford Central School
- Ken L. Salazar v. Frank Buono
- Santa Fe Independent School District v. Jane Doe
- Town of Greece v. Galloway
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- City of San Diego v. John Roe
- Mike Johanns v. Livestock Marketing Association
- Michael Clingman v. Andrea L. Beaver
- Ulysses Tory v. Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr.
- Thomas Van Orden v. Rick Perry
- McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union of KentuckyLaw held unconstitutional
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