Georgia v. John Ashcroft
539 U.S. 461 · Decided June 26, 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
Georgia v. John Ashcroft was decided on June 26, 2003 by a vote of 5–4. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Voting Rights Act of 1965 and amendments” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 539 U.S. 461 · 123 S. Ct. 2498 · 156 L. Ed. 2d 428 · 2003 U.S. LEXIS 5012
- Docket number
- 02-182
- Decided
- June 26, 2003
- Argued
- April 29, 2003
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Voting Rights Act of 1965 and amendments
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Voting Rights Act of 1965
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent |
Full case caption
Georgia v. John Ashcroft, Attorney General, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2002-081, docket 2002-081-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Voting Rights Act of 1965 and amendments”
- Beatrice Branch v. John Robert Smith
- League of United Latin American Citizens v. Rick Perry
- Janet Reno v. Bossier Parish School Board
- Vicky M. Lopez v. Monterey County
- Bob Riley v. Yvonne Kennedy
- City of Monroe v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Voting Rights Act of 1965
- Rick Perry v. Shannon Perez
- George Voinovich v. Barney Quilter
- Joan Growe v. James Emison
- East Carroll Parish School Board v. Marshall
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