Bowen v. Massachusetts
487 U.S. 879 · Decided June 29, 1988 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Bowen v. Massachusetts was decided on June 29, 1988 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Jurisdiction of federal district or territorial courts” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 487 U.S. 879 · 108 S. Ct. 2722 · 101 L. Ed. 2d 749 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 3029
- Docket number
- 87-712
- Decided
- June 29, 1988
- Argued
- April 20, 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 did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Administrative Procedure Act or Administrative Orders Review 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 | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent |
Full case caption
Bowen, Secretary of Health and Human Services, et al. v. Massachusetts
SCDB identifiers: case 1987-154, docket 1987-154-01.
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- Spallone v. United States
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Cases on the same legal provision: Administrative Procedure Act or Administrative Orders Review Act
- Webster v. Doe
- Lujan v. National Wildlife Federation
- Heckler v. Chaney
- Barbara Franklin v. Massachusetts
- Michael E. Lincoln v. Grover Vigil
- R. Gordon Darby v. Henry G. Cisneros
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