Christianson v. Colt Industries Operating Corp.
486 U.S. 800 · Decided June 17, 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
Christianson v. Colt Industries Operating Corp. was decided on June 17, 1988 unanimously (9–0). The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Jurisdiction of federal courts of appeals” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 486 U.S. 800 · 108 S. Ct. 2166 · 100 L. Ed. 2d 811 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 2733
- Docket number
- 87-499
- Decided
- June 17, 1988
- Argued
- April 18, 1988
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Jurisdiction of federal courts of appeals
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 1245
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Christianson et al. v. Colt Industries Operating Corp.
SCDB identifiers: case 1987-119, docket 1987-119-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Jurisdiction of federal courts of appeals”
- Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. McCoy
- Newman-Green, Inc. v. Alfonzo-Larrain
- United States v. Hohri
- Icicle Seafoods, Inc. v. Worthington
- Salve Regina College v. Sharon L. Russell
- Jean v. Nelson
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