# 2009 term United States Supreme Court opinions of Anthony Kennedy

* The 2009 term of the Supreme Court of the United States began October 5, 2009, and concluded October 3, 2010. This was the twenty-third term of Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy's tenure on the Court.
* Anthony Kennedy 2009 term statistics
* 9
* Majority or Plurality
* 8
* Concurrence
* 1
* Other
* 4
* Dissent
* 0
* Concurrence/dissent
* Total =
* 22
* Bench opinions = 21
* Opinions relating to orders = 1
* In-chambers opinions = 0
* Unanimous opinions: 0
* Most joined by: Roberts, Alito (10)
* Least joined by: Stevens (5)
| Type | Case | Citation | Issues | Joined by | Other opinions |
| 201 | Beard v. Kindler | 558 U.S. 53 (2009) | habeas corpus review • adequate and independent state ground doctrine • discretionary state procedural rules | Thomas | Roberts |
| 102 | Citizens United v. Federal Election Comm'n | 558 U.S. 310 (2010) | campaign finance reform • Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 • First Amendment • free speech • corporate speech | Roberts, Scalia, Alito; Stevens, Thomas, Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor (in part) | Roberts Scalia Stevens Thomas |
| 503 | DTD Enterprises, Inc. v. Wells | 558 U.S. 964 (2009) | class action • imposition of class notification cost on defendant | Roberts, Sotomayor | |
| Kennedy filed a statement respecting the Court's denial of certiorari, to note that, although he agreed with the denial in this instance, the petition for certiorari raised issues of constitutional importance. In a class action lawsuit, the New Jersey state trial court had imposed the costs of class notification upon the defendants apparently for no other reason than their ability to pay it. Kennedy believed that serious Due Process implications were raised if New Jersey law permitted this solely based on the relative wealth of the parties, without any consideration of the underlying merits of the case. As the petition to the Court was interlocutory, however, due to the state courts denying leave to appeal, the Court would have to interpret state law without any state court opinion on the matter. Further, the defendant had declared bankruptcy, and the applicability of the automatic stay raised an unrelated procedural obstacle to the case. Kennedy believed that under those circumstances, it was best to deny the petition notwithstanding the substantive constitutional issues. ||||||
| 204 | Perdue v. Kenny A. | 559 U.S. 542 (2010) | Civil Rights Attorney's Fees Award Act of 1976 • calculation of attorney's fees | | Alito Thomas Breyer |
| 405 | Jerman v. Carlisle, McNellie, Rini, Kramer & Ulrich LPA | 559 U.S. 573 (2010) | Fair Debt Collection Practices Act • exclusion of legal errors from bona fide error defense | Alito | Sotomayor Scalia Breyer |
| 106 | Salazar v. Buono | 559 U.S. 700 (2010) | Article III • standing • First Amendment • Establishment Clause • display of religious symbol on government land • land transfer from government to private owner | Roberts; Alito (in part) | Roberts Scalia Alito Stevens Breyer |
| 107 | Abbott v. Abbott | 560 U.S. 1 (2010) | Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction • International Child Abduction Remedies Act • ne exeat right as right of custody | Roberts, Scalia, Ginsburg, Alito, Sotomayor | Stevens |
| 108 | Graham v. Florida | 560 U.S. 48 (2010) | Eighth Amendment • cruel and unusual punishment • sentencing of juveniles to life imprisonment for nonhomicide crimes | Stevens, Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor | Roberts Stevens Thomas Alito |
| 209 | United States v. Comstock | 560 U.S. 126 (2010) | Necessary and Proper Clause • civil commitment of mentally ill, sexually dangerous prisoners | | Breyer Alito Thomas |
| 110 | United States v. O'Brien | 560 U.S. 218 (2010) | use of machine gun in federal crime as element or sentencing factor | Roberts, Stevens, Scalia, Ginsburg, Breyer, Alito, Sotomayor | Stevens Thomas |
| 211 | Alabama v. North Carolina | 560 U.S. 330 (2010) | Southeast Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact | Sotomayor | Scalia Roberts Breyer |
| 112 | Berghuis v. Thompkins | 560 U.S. 370 (2010) | Fifth Amendment • waiver of right to remain silent • Sixth Amendment • ineffective assistance of counsel | Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, Alito | Sotomayor |
| 213 | Levin v. Commerce Energy, Inc. | 560 U.S. 413 (2010) | discriminatory state taxation • comity | | Ginsburg Thomas Alito |
| 414 | Barber v. Thomas | 560 U.S. 474 (2010) | Federal Bureau of Prisons calculation of good time credit | Stevens, Ginsburg | Breyer |
| 415 | New Process Steel, L. P. v. NLRB | 560 U.S. 674 (2010) | Taft-Hartley Act • National Labor Relations Board • delegation of powers to groups of members | Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor | Stevens |
| 216 | Stop the Beach Renourishment, Inc. v. Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection | 560 U.S. 702 (2010) | Fifth Amendment • Takings Clause • littoral rights | Sotomayor | Scalia Breyer |
| 117 | Ontario v. Quon | 560 U.S. 746 (2010) | Fourth Amendment • government review of employee text messages | Roberts, Stevens, Thomas, Ginsburg, Breyer, Alito, Sotomayor; Scalia (in part) | Stevens Scalia |
| 118 | Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. v. Regal-Beloit Corp. | 561 U.S. 89 (2010) | Carriage of Goods by Sea Act • forum selection clause | Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, Breyer, Alito | Sotomayor |
| 419 | Magwood v. Patterson | 561 U.S. 320 (2010) | habeas corpus • Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 • claims in second or successive applications | Roberts, Ginsburg, Alito | Thomas Breyer |
| 220 | Black v. United States | 561 U.S. 465 (2010) | honest services fraud • Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure • preservation of objections to jury instructions | Thomas | Ginsburg Scalia |
| 121 | Bilski v. Kappos | 561 U.S. 593 (2010) | patent law • patentability of business method | Roberts, Thomas, Alito; Scalia (in part) | Stevens Breyer |
| 222 | Christian Legal Soc. Chapter of Univ. of Cal., Hastings College of Law v. Martinez | 561 U.S. 661 (2010) | nondiscrimination policy for university student organizations • First Amendment • free speech • public forum doctrine | | Ginsburg Stevens Alito |