United States v. Windsor
570 U.S. 744 · Decided June 26, 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
United States v. Windsor was decided on June 26, 2013 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, miscellaneous” in the Due Process area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 570 U.S. 744 · 133 S. Ct. 2675 · 186 L. Ed. 2d 808 · 2013 U.S. LEXIS 4921
- Docket number
- 12-307
- Decided
- June 26, 2013
- Argued
- March 27, 2013
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Legal provision
- DOMA
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Windsor
SCDB identifiers: case 2012-079, docket 2012-079-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, miscellaneous”
- Federal Communications Commission v. Fox Television Stations, Inc.
- Obergefell v. HodgesAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Pavan v. SmithLaw held unconstitutional
- Kahler v. Kansas
- Eric Michael Clark v. Arizona
- Keshia Cherie Ashford Dixon v. United States
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
- Arkansas Game and Fish Commission v. United States
- Fane Lozman v. the City of Riviera Beach
- Marvin D. Horne v. Department of Agriculture
- Koontz v. St. Johns River Water Mgmt. Dist.
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