Eric K. Shinseki v. Woodrow F. Sanders
556 U.S. 396 · Decided April 21, 2009 · 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
Eric K. Shinseki v. Woodrow F. Sanders was decided on April 21, 2009 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 “Military, veterans” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 556 U.S. 396 · 129 S. Ct. 1696 · 173 L. Ed. 2d 532 · 2009 U.S. LEXIS 3119
- Docket number
- 07-1209
- Decided
- April 21, 2009
- Argued
- December 8, 2008
- 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)
- Military, veterans
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Harmless error
- Type of law
- Other
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority |
Full case caption
Eric K. Shinseki, Secretary of Veterans Affairs v. Woodrow F. Sanders
SCDB identifiers: case 2008-046, docket 2008-046-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Military, veterans”
- Doretha H. Henderson v. Eric K. Shineski
- George v. McDonough
- Arellano v. McDonough
- Jesse Brown v. Fred P. Gardner
- Rudisill v. McDonough
- Soto v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Harmless error
- Anthony Hedgpeth v. Michael Robert Pulido
- Washington v. Arturo R. Recuenco
- Rose v. Clark
- Delaware v. Van Arsdall
- Rushen v. Spain
- United States v. Hasting
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Jennifer Brunner v. Ohio Republican Party
- Cordell Pearson v. Afton CallahanAltered precedent
- Lisa Fitzgerald v. Barnstable School Committee
- Vicky S. Crawford v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County
- John Van de Kamp v. Thomas Lee Goldstein
- Donald L. Carcieri v. Ken L. Salazar
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