United States v. Zubaydah
142 S. Ct. 959 · Decided March 3, 2022 · 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. Zubaydah was decided on March 3, 2022 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Freedom of Information Act and related laws” in the Privacy area.
Read the opinion
- CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
- Supreme Court of the United States — slip opinions, October Term 2021
- Supreme Court of the United States — docket 20-827
Case details
- Citations
- 142 S. Ct. 959 · 212 L. Ed. 2d 65 · 2022 U.S. LEXIS 1325
- Docket number
- 20-827
- Decided
- March 3, 2022
- Argued
- October 6, 2021
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Stephen G. Breyer
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Freedom of Information Act and related laws
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Legal provision
- Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- Type of law
- Court rules
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Dissent | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Neil M. Gorsuch | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Amy Coney Barrett | Concurrence |
Full case caption
United States v. Zubaydah
SCDB identifiers: case 2021-005, docket 2021-005-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- Cameron v. Emw Women’s Surgical Center, P.S.C.
- Kemp v. United States
- City of San Antonio v. Hotels.com, L.P.
- Dupree v. Younger
- Waetzig v. Halliburton Energy Services
- Nutraceutical Corp. v. Lambert
Same Term, same area (Privacy)
- Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health OrganizationAltered precedent
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