Central Intelligence Agency v. Sims
471 U.S. 159 · Decided April 16, 1985 · 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
Central Intelligence Agency v. Sims was decided on April 16, 1985 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part and reversed or vacated it in part. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Freedom of Information Act and related laws” in the Privacy area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 471 U.S. 159 · 105 S. Ct. 1881 · 85 L. Ed. 2d 173 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 2741
- Docket number
- 83-1075
- Decided
- April 16, 1985
- Argued
- December 4, 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
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Freedom of Information Act and related laws
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Legal provision
- Freedom of Information, Sunshine, or Privacy Act
- 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. | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Central Intelligence Agency et al. v. Sims et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-078, docket 1984-078-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Freedom of Information Act and related laws”
- Federal Communications Commission v. ITT World Communications, Inc.
- United States v. Weber Aircraft Corp.
- Federal Trade Commission v. Grolier Inc.
- Societe Nationale Industrielle Aerospatiale v. United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa
- Church of Scientology of California v. Internal Revenue Service
- Federal Bureau of Investigation v. Abramson
Cases on the same legal provision: Freedom of Information, Sunshine, or Privacy Act
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