Blum v. Stenson
465 U.S. 886 · Decided March 21, 1984 · 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
Blum v. Stenson was decided on March 21, 1984 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part and reversed or vacated it in part. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Attorneys' and officials' fees, compensation, or licenses” in the Attorneys area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 465 U.S. 886 · 104 S. Ct. 1541 · 79 L. Ed. 2d 891 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 47
- Docket number
- 81-1374
- Decided
- March 21, 1984
- Argued
- January 11, 1984
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Attorneys
- Legal provision
- Civil Rights Attorney's Fees Awards 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. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Concurrence | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Blum, Commissioner, New York State Department of Social Services v. Stenson
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-058, docket 1983-058-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Attorneys' and officials' fees, compensation, or licenses”
- Smith v. Robinson
- Ruckelshaus v. Sierra Club
- Hensley v. Eckerhart
- Roger L. Spencer v. South Carolina Tax Commission
- Webb v. County Board of Education of Dyer County
- Marek v. Chesny
Same Term, same area (Attorneys)
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