Battle of Backbone Mountain

The Supreme Court of the United States handed down twelve per curiam opinions during its 2002 term, which began October 7, 2002 and concluded October 5, 2003.^[1]

Because per curiam decisions are issued from the Court as an institution, these opinions all lack the attribution of authorship or joining votes to specific justices. All justices on the Court at the time the decision was handed down are assumed to have participated and concurred unless otherwise noted.

Court membership

Chief Justice: William Rehnquist

Associate Justices: John Paul Stevens, Sandra Day O'Connor, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer

Early v. Packer

537 U.S. 3
Decided November 4, 2002.
Ninth Circuit reversed.

INS v. Ventura

537 U.S. 12
Decided November 4, 2002.
Ninth Circuit reversed and remanded.

Woodford v. Visciotti

537 U.S. 19
Decided November 4, 2002.
Ninth Circuit reversed.

Abdur'Rahman v. Bell

537 U.S. 88
Argued November 6, 2002.
Decided December 10, 2002.
The Court dismissed the writ of certiorari as improvidently granted.

Stevens filed a dissent.

Kaupp v. Texas

538 U.S. 626
Decided May 5, 2003.
Court of Appeals of Texas, Fourteenth District, vacated and remanded.

Los Angeles v. David

538 U.S. 715
Decided May 19, 2003.
Ninth Circuit reversed.

Bunkley v. Florida

538 U.S. 835
Decided May 27, 2003.
Supreme Court of Florida vacated and remanded.

Citizens Bank v. Alafabco, Inc.

539 U.S. 52
Decided June 2, 2003.
Supreme Court of Alabama reversed and remanded.

Nike, Inc. v. Kasky

539 U.S. 654
Argued April 23, 2003.
Decided June 26, 2003.
The Court dismissed the writ of certiorari as improvidently granted.

Stevens filed a concurrence, joined by Ginsburg in full, and by Souter as to Part III. Kennedy filed a dissent. Breyer filed a dissent, joined by O'Connor.

Notes

^
The descriptions of three opinions have been omitted:
- In Ford Motor Co. v. McCauley, 537 U.S. 1 (2002), the Court dismissed the writ of certiorari as improvidently granted.
- The Court's per curiam opinion in Borden Ranch Partnership v. Army Corps of Engineers, 537 U.S. 99 (2002), noted that the judgment was affirmed by an equally divided Court. Kennedy did not participate.
- In Dow Chemical Co. v. Stephenson, 539 U.S. 111 (2003), the Court vacated the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit's judgment with respect to the Isaacson respondents and remanded for further consideration in light of Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. v. Henson, 537 U.S. 28 (2002). The Court's per curiam opinion noted that the judgment was affirmed by an equally divided Court with respect to the Stephenson respondents. Stevens did not participate.

References

"2002 Opinions of the Court". Supreme Court of the United States. Archived from the original on February 2, 2004. Retrieved July 7, 2010.

[1] The descriptions of three opinions have been omitted:
In Ford Motor Co. v. McCauley, 537 U.S. 1 (2002), the Court dismissed the writ of certiorari as improvidently granted.
The Court's per curiam opinion in Borden Ranch Partnership v. Army Corps of Engineers, 537 U.S. 99 (2002), noted that the judgment was affirmed by an equally divided Court. Kennedy did not participate.
In Dow Chemical Co. v. Stephenson, 539 U.S. 111 (2003), the Court vacated the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit's judgment with respect to the Isaacson respondents and remanded for further consideration in light of Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. v. Henson, 537 U.S. 28 (2002). The Court's per curiam opinion noted that the judgment was affirmed by an equally divided Court with respect to the Stephenson respondents. Stevens did not participate.

[2] In Ford Motor Co. v. McCauley, 537 U.S. 1 (2002), the Court dismissed the writ of certiorari as improvidently granted.

[3] The Court's per curiam opinion in Borden Ranch Partnership v. Army Corps of Engineers, 537 U.S. 99 (2002), noted that the judgment was affirmed by an equally divided Court. Kennedy did not participate.

[4] In Dow Chemical Co. v. Stephenson, 539 U.S. 111 (2003), the Court vacated the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit's judgment with respect to the Isaacson respondents and remanded for further consideration in light of Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. v. Henson, 537 U.S. 28 (2002). The Court's per curiam opinion noted that the judgment was affirmed by an equally divided Court with respect to the Stephenson respondents. Stevens did not participate.

[1]

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