Beech Aircraft Corporation v. Rainey
488 U.S. 153 · Decided December 12, 1988 · 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
Beech Aircraft Corporation v. Rainey was decided on December 12, 1988 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal rules of civil procedure” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 488 U.S. 153 · 109 S. Ct. 439 · 102 L. Ed. 2d 445 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 5631
- Docket number
- 87-981
- Decided
- December 12, 1988
- Argued
- October 4, 1988
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal rules of civil procedure
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Federal Rules of Evidence
- Type of law
- Court rules
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Beech Aircraft Corporation v. Rainey, John C., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-011, docket 1988-011-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Rules of Evidence
- United States v. Zolin
- Huddleston v. United States
- Bourjaily v. United States
- Tanner v. United States
- United States v. Anthony Salerno
- Luce v. United States
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- McNamara v. County of San Diego Department of Social Services
- Bowen v. Georgetown University Hospital
- Harbison-Walker Refractories v. Brieck
- Argentine Republic v. Amerada Hess Shipping Corp.
- Mark H. Oring v. State Bar of California
- Mesa v. California
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