Barbara Grutter v. Lee Bollinger
539 U.S. 306 · Decided June 23, 2003 · 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
Barbara Grutter v. Lee Bollinger was decided on June 23, 2003 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Affirmative action” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 539 U.S. 306 · 123 S. Ct. 2325 · 156 L. Ed. 2d 304 · 2003 U.S. LEXIS 4800
- Docket number
- 02-241
- Decided
- June 23, 2003
- Argued
- April 1, 2003
- Court era
- Rehnquist 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
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Affirmative action
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Concurrence |
Full case caption
Barbara Grutter v. Lee Bollinger et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2002-078, docket 2002-078-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Affirmative action”
- Jennifer Gratz and Patrick Hamacher v. Lee Bollinger
- Texas v. Francois Daniel Lesage and United States
- Frank Ricci v. John Destefano
- Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Federico PenaAltered precedent
- Abigail Noel Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin
- Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Michael Fitzgerald v. Racing Association of Central Iowa
- Garrison S. Johnson v. California
- Jay Shawn Johnson v. California
- Antonio Dwayne Halbert v. MichiganLaw held unconstitutional
- Michael F. Easley v. Martin Cromartie
- Village of Willowbrook v. Grace Olech
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Fredy Orlando Ventura
- Jo Anne B. Barnhart v. Peabody Coal Company
- David Meyer v. Emma Mary Ellen Holley
- Washington State Department of Social and Health Services v. Guardianship Estate of Danny Keffeler
- United States v. White Mountain Apache Tribe
- United States v. Navajo Nation
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