Shelby County v. Holder
570 U.S. 529 · Decided June 25, 2013 · 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
Shelby County v. Holder was decided on June 25, 2013 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Voting Rights Act of 1965 and amendments” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 570 U.S. 529 · 133 S. Ct. 2612 · 186 L. Ed. 2d 651 · 2013 U.S. LEXIS 4917
- Docket number
- 12-96
- Decided
- June 25, 2013
- Argued
- February 27, 2013
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Voting Rights Act of 1965 and amendments
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Voting Rights Act of 1965
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Dissent |
Full case caption
Shelby County v. Holder
SCDB identifiers: case 2012-073, docket 2012-073-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Voting Rights Act of 1965 and amendments”
- Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One v. Eric H. Holder, Jr.
- Gary Bartlett v. Dwight Strickland
- Abbott v. Perez
- Bob Riley v. Yvonne Kennedy
- League of United Latin American Citizens v. Rick Perry
- Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee
Cases on the same legal provision: Voting Rights Act of 1965
- Rick Perry v. Shannon Perez
- George Voinovich v. Barney Quilter
- Joan Growe v. James Emison
- East Carroll Parish School Board v. Marshall
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Carolyn M. Kloeckner v. Hilda L. Solis
- Jeffrey Lee Chafin v. Lynne Hales Chafin
- John Marshall v. Otis Lee Rodgers
- Adrian Moncrieffe v. Eric H. Holder, Jr.
- Carlos Trevino v. Rick Thaler
- Arizona v. the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc.
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