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 (SCDB)
- Liability under civil rights acts
- 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
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority |
Full case caption
Michelle Oritz, Petitioner v. Paula Jordan et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2010-013, docket 2010-013-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- Henry W. Skinner v. Lynn Switzer
- Los Angeles County v. Craig Arthur Humphries
- Harry F. Connick v. John Thompson
- Harvey Leroy Sossamon v. Texas
- Jamey L. Wilkins v. Officer Gaddy
- Curt Messerschmidt v. Brenda Millender
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Lisa Fitzgerald v. Barnstable School Committee
- Reginald A. Wilkinson v. William Dwight Dotson
- Inyo County v. Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony
- Reed v. Goertz
- Marian Johnson v. Kristine L. Fankell
- Williams v. Reed
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Los Angeles County v. Craig Arthur Humphries
- Madison County
- Jeff Premo v. Randy Joseph Moore
- Eric L. Thompson v. North American Stainless, Lp
- James Walker v. Charles W. Martin
- Vincent E. Staub v. Proctor Hospital
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