District of Columbia v. Wesby
138 S. Ct. 577 · Decided January 22, 2018 · 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
District of Columbia v. Wesby was decided on January 22, 2018 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Governmental liability” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
- CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
- Supreme Court of the United States — slip opinions, October Term 2017
Case details
- Citations
- 138 S. Ct. 577 · 199 L. Ed. 2d 453 · 2018 U.S. LEXIS 760
- Docket number
- 15-1485
- Decided
- January 22, 2018
- Argued
- October 4, 2017
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Clarence Thomas
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 42 USCU ss 1983 Civil action for deprivation of rights
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority | |
| Justice Neil M. Gorsuch | Majority |
Full case caption
District of Columbia v. Wesby
SCDB identifiers: case 2017-006, docket 2017-006-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- Rubin v. Islamic Republic of Iran
- Escondido v. Emmons
- State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. v. United States
- Republic of Sudan v. Harrison
- Thacker v. Tennessee Valley Authority
- Franchise Tax Board of California v. HyattAltered precedent
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Rubin v. Islamic Republic of Iran
- Digital Realty Trust v. Somers
- Merit Management Group, Lp v. Fti Consulting, Inc
- U.S. Bank National Association v. Village at Lakeridge
- Cyan v. Beaver County Employees Retirement Fund
- Oil States Energy Services, LLC v. Greene’s Energy Group, LLC
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