Williams v. Reed

Williams v. Reed
Argued October 7, 2024
Decided February 21, 2025
Full case nameNancy Williams, et al. v. Greg Reed, Alabama Secretary of Workforce
Docket no.23-191
Citations604 U.S. ____ (more)
ArgumentOral argument
Case history
PriorJohnson v. Alabama Secretary of Labor, Fitzgerald Washington, (Ala. 2023)
Holding
Where a state court's application of a state exhaustion requirement in effect immunizes state officials from § 1983 claims challenging delays in the administrative process, state courts may not deny those § 1983 claims on failure-to-exhaust grounds.
Court membership
Chief Justice
John Roberts
Associate Justices
Clarence Thomas · Samuel Alito
Sonia Sotomayor · Elena Kagan
Neil Gorsuch · Brett Kavanaugh
Amy Coney Barrett · Ketanji Brown Jackson
Case opinions
MajorityKavanaugh, joined by Roberts, Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson
DissentThomas, joined by Alito, Gorsuch, and Barrett (all only joining Part II)
Laws applied
Ku Klux Klan Act

Williams v. Reed, 604 U.S. ____ (2025), is a decision of the United States Supreme Court holding that state laws requiring exhaustion of state administrative remedies are preempted by 42 U.S.C. § 1983 of the federal Ku Klux Klan Act when they prevent a state court from hearing claims challenging delays in the administrative process.