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Michelle Oritz v. Paula Jordan

562 U.S. 180 · Decided January 24, 2011 · 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

Michelle Oritz v. Paula Jordan was decided on January 24, 2011 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 “Liability under civil rights acts” in the Civil Rights area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
562 U.S. 180 · 131 S. Ct. 884 · 178 L. Ed. 2d 703 · 2011 U.S. LEXIS 915
Docket number
09-737
Decided
January 24, 2011
Argued
November 1, 2010
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
9–0 (unanimous)
Majority opinion
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Opinion assigned by
John G. Roberts Jr.
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue area
Civil Rights
Legal provision
42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
Type of law
Federal statute
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice Antonin ScaliaSpecial concurrence
Justice Anthony M. KennedySpecial concurrence
Justice Clarence ThomasSpecial concurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Ruth Bader GinsburgMajorityWrote an opinion
Justice Stephen G. BreyerMajority
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.Majority
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.Majority
Justice Sonia SotomayorMajority
Justice Elena KaganMajority

Full case caption

Michelle Oritz, Petitioner v. Paula Jordan et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 2010-013, docket 2010-013-01.

Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”

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Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)

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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