Keith Haywood v. Curtis Drown
556 U.S. 729 · Decided May 26, 2009 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Keith Haywood v. Curtis Drown was decided on May 26, 2009 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability under civil rights acts” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 556 U.S. 729 · 129 S. Ct. 2108 · 173 L. Ed. 2d 920 · 2009 U.S. LEXIS 3807
- Docket number
- 07-10374
- Decided
- May 26, 2009
- Argued
- December 3, 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
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability under civil rights acts
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Article VI, Section 2 (supremacy clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Dissent |
Full case caption
Keith Haywood v. Curtis Drown, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2008-058, docket 2008-058-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- John Van de Kamp v. Thomas Lee Goldstein
- Cordell Pearson v. Afton CallahanAltered precedent
- Jamey L. Wilkins v. Officer Gaddy
- Los Angeles County v. Craig Arthur Humphries
- Michelle Oritz v. Paula Jordan
- Henry W. Skinner v. Lynn Switzer
Cases on the same legal provision: Article VI, Section 2 (supremacy clause)
- David Bobby v. Robert J. Van Hook
- Plivia, Inc. v. Gladys Mensing
- Toby Douglas v. Independent Living Center of Southern California, Inc.
- Arizona v. United States
- Armstrong v. Exceptional Child Center, Inc.
- Stephen P. Crosby v. National Foreign Trade CouncilLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Jennifer Brunner v. Ohio Republican Party
- Cordell Pearson v. Afton CallahanAltered precedent
- Lisa Fitzgerald v. Barnstable School Committee
- Vicky S. Crawford v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County
- John Van de Kamp v. Thomas Lee Goldstein
- Donald L. Carcieri v. Ken L. Salazar
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