Douglas Spector v. Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd.
545 U.S. 119 · Decided June 6, 2005 · 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
Douglas Spector v. Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd. was decided on June 6, 2005 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Rights of handicapped persons” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 545 U.S. 119 · 125 S. Ct. 2169 · 162 L. Ed. 2d 97 · 2005 U.S. LEXIS 4655
- Docket number
- 03-1388
- Decided
- June 6, 2005
- Argued
- February 28, 2005
- Court era
- Rehnquist 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
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Rights of handicapped persons
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Americans with Disabilities Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Concurrence |
Full case caption
Douglas Spector, et al. v. Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd.
SCDB identifiers: case 2004-056, docket 2004-056-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Rights of handicapped persons”
- Schaffer v. Weast
- Tennessee v. George Lane
- Raytheon Company v. Joel Hernandez
- Jo Anne B. Barnhart v. Pauline Thomas
- Board of Education of the City School District of the City of New York v. Tom F.
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Cases on the same legal provision: Americans with Disabilities Act
- United States v. Georgia
- Clackamas Gastroenterology Associates, P. C. v. Deborah Wells
- Kay Barnes, Etc. v. Jeffrey Gorman
- Buckhannon Board and Care Home, Inc. v. West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources
- Ceasar Wright v. Universal Maritime Service Corporation
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Josue Leocal v. John D. Ashcroft
- Keyse G. Jama v. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- A. Neil Clark v. Sergio Suarez Martinez
- Garrison S. Johnson v. California
- Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation v. Michael O. Leavitt
- City of Rancho Palos Verdes v. Mark J. Abrams
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