Daniel Coleman v. Court of Appeals of Maryland
566 U.S. 30 · Decided March 20, 2012 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Daniel Coleman v. Court of Appeals of Maryland was decided on March 20, 2012 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “National supremacy, marital and family relationships” in the Federalism area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 566 U.S. 30 · 132 S. Ct. 1327 · 182 L. Ed. 2d 296 · 2012 U.S. LEXIS 2315
- Docket number
- 10-1016
- Decided
- March 20, 2012
- Argued
- January 11, 2012
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Judgment 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
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (enforcement clause)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Dissent | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Dissent |
Full case caption
Daniel Coleman, Petitioner v. Court of Appeals of Maryland et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2011-032, docket 2011-032-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, marital and family relationships”
- Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy v. James W. Stewart III
- Rose v. Rose
- McCarty v. McCarty
- Hisquierdo v. Hisquierdo
- Yiatchos v. Yiatchos
- Free v. BlandLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (enforcement clause)
- Nevada Department of Human Resources v. William Hibbs
- Trump v. Anderson
- City of Boerne v. P. F. FloresLaw held unconstitutional
- Fitzpatrick v. Bitzer
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- National Meat Association v. Kamala D. Harris
- Gloria Gail Kurns v. Railroad Friction Products Corporation
- Arizona v. United States
- National Federation of Independent Business v. Kathleen Sebelius
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