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Frisby v. Schultz

487 U.S. 474 · Decided June 27, 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

Frisby v. Schultz was decided on June 27, 1988 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “First Amendment, miscellaneous” in the First Amendment area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
487 U.S. 474 · 108 S. Ct. 2495 · 101 L. Ed. 2d 420 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 3026
Docket number
87-168
Decided
June 27, 1988
Argued
April 20, 1988
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
6–3
Majority opinion
Sandra Day O'Connor
Opinion assigned by
William H. Rehnquist
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue area
First Amendment
Legal provision
First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.DissentWrote an opinion
Justice Byron R. WhiteSpecial concurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Thurgood MarshallDissent
Justice Harry A. BlackmunMajority
Chief Justice William H. RehnquistMajority
Justice John Paul StevensDissentWrote an opinion
Justice Sandra Day O'ConnorMajorityWrote an opinion
Justice Antonin ScaliaMajority
Justice Anthony M. KennedyMajority

Full case caption

Frisby et al. v. Schultz et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1987-144, docket 1987-144-01.

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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