City of Springfield v. Kibbe
480 U.S. 257 · Decided February 25, 1987 · 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
City of Springfield v. Kibbe was decided on February 25, 1987 by a vote of 5–4. SCDB codes the disposition as “petition denied or appeal dismissed.” The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability under civil rights acts” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 480 U.S. 257 · 107 S. Ct. 1114 · 94 L. Ed. 2d 293 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 936
- Docket number
- 85-1217
- Decided
- February 25, 1987
- Argued
- November 4, 1986
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Petition denied or appeal dismissed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability under civil rights acts
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Writ improvidently granted
- Type of law
- Other
- 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 | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
City of Springfield, Massachusetts v. Kibbe, Administratrix of the Estate of Thurston
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-044, docket 1986-044-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- Town of Newton v. Rumery
- Saint Francis College v. Al-Khazraji
- Shaare Tefila Congregation v. Cobb
- Goodman v. Lukens Steel Co.
- Memphis Community School District v. Stachura
- City of Los Angeles v. Heller
Cases on the same legal provision: Writ improvidently granted
- United States v. Merchant
- Missouri v. Blair
- Lynaugh v. Petty
- Cerbone v. Conway
- California v. Rooney
- United States v. Quinn
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Ansonia Board of Education v. Philbrook
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Hector
- Munro v. Socialist Workers Party
- Tashjian v. Republican Party of ConnecticutLaw held unconstitutional
- California Federal Savings & Loan Assn. v. Guerra
- City of Pleasant Grove v. United States
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