Berkovitz v. United States
486 U.S. 531 · Decided June 13, 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
Berkovitz v. United States was decided on June 13, 1988 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Governmental liability” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 486 U.S. 531 · 108 S. Ct. 1954 · 100 L. Ed. 2d 531 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 2584
- Docket number
- 87-498
- Decided
- June 13, 1988
- Argued
- April 19, 1988
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Federal Tort Claims Act or Alien Tort Statute
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Berkovitz et al. v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1987-108, docket 1987-108-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- Sheridan et Ux. v. United States
- Schweiker v. Chilicky
- Boyle v. United Technologies Corp.
- Westfall v. Erwin et Ux.
- Finley v. United States
- Welch v. Texas Department of Highways and Public TransportationAltered precedent
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Tort Claims Act or Alien Tort Statute
- United States v. Hohri
- William McNeil v. United States
- Jose Francisco Sosa v. Humberto Alvarez-Machain
- United States v. Joseph Olson
- Richards v. United States
- United States v. Brown
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Gwaltney of Smithfield, Ltd. v. Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Inc.
- Mullins Coal Co., Inc. of Virginia v. Director
- Westfall v. Erwin et Ux.
- United Savings Association of Texas v. Timbers of Inwood Forest Associates, Ltd.
- United States v. Fausto
- Laborers Health and Welfare Trust Fund for Northern California v. Advanced Lightweight Concrete Co., Inc.
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