Dennis v. Sparks
449 U.S. 24 · Decided November 17, 1980 · 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
Dennis v. Sparks was decided on November 17, 1980 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the 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
- 449 U.S. 24 · 101 S. Ct. 183 · 66 L. Ed. 2d 185 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 9
- Docket number
- 79-1186
- Decided
- November 17, 1980
- Argued
- October 8, 1980
- 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
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability under civil rights acts
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Dennis v. Sparks et Al., Dba Sidney A. Sparks, Trustee
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-003, docket 1980-003-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- Allen v. McCurry
- Maine v. Thiboutot et Vir.
- Supreme Court of Virginia v. Consumers Union of the United States, Inc.
- Gomez v. Toledo
- Parratt v. Taylor
- Owen v. City of Independence
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Chardon v. Fernandez
- Fair Assessment in Real Estate Association, Inc. v. McNary
- Patsy v. Board of Regents of the State of Florida
- Robertson v. Wegmann
- Aldinger v. Howard
- Examining Board of Engineers v. Flores de OteroLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Allen v. McCurry
- United States Railroad Retirement Board v. Fritz
- Delaware State College v. Ricks
- Fedorenko v. United States
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Associated Dry Goods Corp.
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Jong Ha Wang et Ux.
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