Bethesda Hospital Association v. Otis R. Bowen
485 U.S. 399 · Decided April 4, 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
Bethesda Hospital Association v. Otis R. Bowen was decided on April 4, 1988 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Judicial review of agency actions” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 485 U.S. 399 · 108 S. Ct. 1255 · 99 L. Ed. 2d 460 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 1673
- Docket number
- 86-1764
- Decided
- April 4, 1988
- Argued
- February 29, 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
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Judicial review of agency actions
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Medicare (Social Security Act)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal 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 | |
| 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 | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Bethesda Hospital Association, et al. v. Otis R. Bowen, Secretary of Health and Human Services
SCDB identifiers: case 1987-058, docket 1987-058-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Judicial review of agency actions”
- Etsi Pipeline Project v. Missouri
- National Labor Relations Board v. United Food & Commercial Workers Union
- Bowen v. Georgetown University Hospital
- Interstate Commerce Commission v. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Schor
- Young v. Community Nutrition Institute
Cases on the same legal provision: Medicare (Social Security Act)
- Heckler v. Ringer
- Schweiker v. McClure
- United States v. Erika, Inc.
- Donna E. Shalala v. Illinois Council on Long Term Care, Inc.
- Biden v. Missouri
- American Hospital Association v. Becerra
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. McCoy
- Karcher v. May
- National Labor Relations Board v. United Food & Commercial Workers Union
- Vermont v. Cox
- Thompson v. Thompson
- Deakins v. Monaghan
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