Browder v. Director
434 U.S. 257 · Decided January 10, 1978 · 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
Browder v. Director was decided on January 10, 1978 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell 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
- 434 U.S. 257 · 98 S. Ct. 556 · 54 L. Ed. 2d 521 · 1978 U.S. LEXIS 53
- Docket number
- 76-5325
- Decided
- January 10, 1978
- Argued
- October 31, 1977
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- 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 (SCDB)
- Federal rules of civil procedure
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- 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 | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Concurrence | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Browder v. Director, Department of Corrections of Illinois
SCDB identifiers: case 1977-022, docket 1977-022-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
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Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Citizens & Southern National Bank v. Bougas
- Key v. Doyle
- Chase Manhattan Bank v. South Acres Development Co.
- Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. v. Jerome
- Vendo Co. v. Lektro-Vend Corp.
- Bankers Trust Co. v. Mallis
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