Priscilla Summers v. Earth Island Institute
555 U.S. 488 · Decided March 3, 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
Priscilla Summers v. Earth Island Institute was decided on March 3, 2009 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part and reversed or vacated it in part. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Standing, live dispute” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 555 U.S. 488 · 129 S. Ct. 1142 · 173 L. Ed. 2d 1 · 2009 U.S. LEXIS 1769
- Docket number
- 07-463
- Decided
- March 3, 2009
- Argued
- October 8, 2008
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Standing, live dispute
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Article III, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (case or controversy requirement)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority |
Full case caption
Priscilla Summers et al. v. Earth Island Institute et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2008-027, docket 2008-027-01.
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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