# 2015 term United States Supreme Court opinions of Sonia Sotomayor

* The 2015 term of the Supreme Court of the United States began October 5, 2015, and concluded October 2, 2016. This was the seventh term of Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor's tenure on the Court.
* Sonia Sotomayor 2015 term statistics
* 7
* Majority or Plurality
* 5
* Concurrence
* 1
* Other
* 8
* Dissent
* 1
* Concurrence/dissent
* Total =
* 22
* Bench opinions = 18
* Opinions relating to orders = 4
* In-chambers opinions = 0
* Unanimous opinions: 2
* Most joined by: Ginsburg (13 in full, 1 in part)
* Least joined by: Scalia (1)
| Type | Case | Citation | Issues | Joined by | Other opinions |
| 401 | Correll v. Florida | 577 U.S. 948 (2015) | Eighth Amendment • death penalty | | Breyer |
| Sotomayor dissented from the Court's denial of certiorari and application for stay of execution. ||||||
| 402 | Mullenix v. Luna | 577 U.S. 20 (2015) | Fourth Amendment • use of deadly force in effecting arrest • qualified immunity | | per curiam Scalia |
| 503 | Holiday v. Stephens | 577 U.S. 999 (2015) | death penalty • appointment of counsel in clemency proceedings | | |
| Sotomayor filed a statement respecting the Court's denial of certiorari. ||||||
| 104 | Hurst v. Florida | 577 U.S. 92 (2016) | death penalty • Sixth Amendment • right to a jury trial • judicial factfinding of aggravating circumstances after jury advisory recommendation | Roberts, Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, Ginsburg, Kagan | Breyer Alito |
| 405 | Kansas v. Carr | 577 U.S. 127 (2016) | Eighth Amendment • death penalty • jury instructions on standard of proof for mitigating factors | | Scalia |
| 206 | Brooks v. Alabama | 577 U.S. 1115 (2016) | death penalty | Ginsburg | Breyer |
| Sotomayor concurred in the Court's denial of a stay of execution and a petition for certiorari. ||||||
| 107 | Lockhart v. United States | 577 U.S. 347 (2016) | federal child pornography laws • scope of sentence enhancement for prior convictions | Roberts, Kennedy, Thomas, Ginsburg, Alito | Kagan |
| 108 | Americold Realty Trust v. ConAgra Foods, Inc. | 577 U.S. 378 (2016) | diversity jurisdiction • citizenship of investment trust | Unanimous | |
| 209 | Hughes v. Talen Energy Marketing, LLC | 578 U.S. 167 (2016) | Federal Power Act • interstate wholesale electricity rates • federal preemption | | Ginsburg Thomas |
| 410 | Ocasio v. United States | 578 U.S. 306 (2016) | Hobbs Act • conspiracy | Roberts | Alito Breyer Thomas |
| 111 | Husky Int'l Electronics, Inc. v. Ritz | 578 U.S. 355 (2016) | bankruptcy law • Chapter 7 • discharge exception for actual fraud | Roberts, Kennedy, Ginsburg, Breyer, Alito, Kagan | Thomas |
| 212 | Zubik v. Burwell | 578 U.S. 410 (2016) | Affordable Care Act • contraceptive mandate • Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 | Ginsburg | per curiam |
| 413 | Kernan v. Hinojosa | 578 U.S. 416 (2016) | habeas corpus • state court unexplained denial of petition | Ginsburg | per curiam |
| 214 | Betterman v. Montana | 578 U.S. 450 (2016) | Sixth Amendment • Speedy Trial Clause • postconviction delay in sentencing | | Ginsburg Thomas |
| 415 | Luna Torres v. Lynch | 578 U.S. 473 (2016) | immigration law • removal for conviction of aggravated felony | Thomas, Breyer | Kagan |
| 116 | Green v. Brennan | 578 U.S. 547 (2016) | Title VII • constructive discharge • statute of limitations | Roberts, Kennedy, Ginsburg, Breyer, Kagan | Alito Thomas |
| 217 | Adams v. Alabama | 578 U.S. 998 (2016) | Eighth Amendment • mandatory life imprisonment of minors • retroactivity of new constitutional rules | Ginsburg | Thomas Alito |
| Sotomayor concurred in the Court's decision to grant certiorari, vacate the lower court's opinion, and remand. ||||||
| 118 | Simmons v. Himmelreich | 578 U.S. 621 (2016) | Federal Tort Claims Act • exceptions for discretionary functions • judgment bar against subsequent suit against employees | Unanimous | |
| 119 | Dietz v. Bouldin | 579 U.S. 40 (2016) | district court recall of jury in civil case after discharge | Roberts, Ginsburg, Breyer, Alito, Kagan | Thomas |
| 420 | Puerto Rico v. Franklin Cal. Tax-Free Trust | 579 U.S. 131 (2016) | bankruptcy law • preemption of municipal bankruptcy laws • Puerto Rican government-debt crisis | Ginsburg | Thomas |
| 421 | Utah v. Strieff | 579 U.S. 243 (2016) | Fourth Amendment • exclusionary rule • attenuation doctrine | Ginsburg (in part) | Thomas Kagan |
| 322 | Birchfield v. North Dakota | 579 U.S. 479 (2016) | Fourth Amendment • search incident to arrest • drunk driving • implied consent to breathalyzer or blood alcohol content tests | Ginsburg | Alito Thomas |