Ken L. Salazar v. Frank Buono
559 U.S. 700 · Decided April 28, 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
Ken L. Salazar v. Frank Buono was decided on April 28, 2010 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 “Establishment of religion” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 559 U.S. 700 · 130 S. Ct. 1803 · 176 L. Ed. 2d 634 · 2010 U.S. LEXIS 3674
- Docket number
- 08-472
- Decided
- April 28, 2010
- Argued
- October 7, 2009
- 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)
- Establishment of religion
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (establishment of religion)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Dissent |
Full case caption
Ken L. Salazar, Secretary of the Interior, et al. v. Frank Buono
SCDB identifiers: case 2009-041, docket 2009-041-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Establishment of religion”
- Town of Greece v. Galloway
- Thomas Van Orden v. Rick Perry
- McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union of KentuckyLaw held unconstitutional
- Jon B. Cutter v. Reginald Wilkinson
- Good News Club v. Milford Central School
- American Legion v. American Humanist Association
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (establishment of religion)
- Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Kathleen M. Winn
- Susan Tave Zelman v. Doris Simmons-Harris
- Guy Mitchell v. Mary L. HelmsAltered precedent
- Rachel Agostini v. Betty-Louise FeltonAltered precedent
- Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Louis GrumetLaw held unconstitutional
- Larry Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Citizens United v. Federal Election CommissionAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Robert J. StevensLaw held unconstitutional
- Eric H. Holder, Jr. v. Humanitarian Law Project
- Christian Legal Society Chapter of the University of California v. Leo P. Martinez
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