Daniels v. Williams
474 U.S. 327 · Decided January 21, 1986 · 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
Daniels v. Williams was decided on January 21, 1986 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability under civil rights acts” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 474 U.S. 327 · 106 S. Ct. 662 · 88 L. Ed. 2d 662 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 43
- Docket number
- 84-5872
- Decided
- January 21, 1986
- Argued
- November 6, 1985
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability under civil rights acts
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Daniels v. Williams
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-024, docket 1985-024-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- Davidson v. Cannon
- Malley v. Briggs
- Pembaur v. City of Cincinnati
- City of Los Angeles v. Heller
- Memphis Community School District v. Stachura
- City of Oklahoma City v. Tuttle
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Wainwright v. Greenfield
- Regents of the University of Michigan v. Ewing
- Hill v. Lockhart
- Aetna Life Insurance Co. v. Lavoie
- Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians and GynecologistsLaw held unconstitutional
- McMillan v. Pennsylvania
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- California State Board of Equalization v. Chemehuevi Indian Tribe
- Green v. Mansour
- Vasquez v. Hillery
- Davidson v. Cannon
- Malley v. Briggs
- Pembaur v. City of Cincinnati
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