Golden State Transit Corp. v. City of Los Angeles
493 U.S. 103 · Decided December 5, 1989 · 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
Golden State Transit Corp. v. City of Los Angeles was decided on December 5, 1989 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John Paul Stevens 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
- 493 U.S. 103 · 110 S. Ct. 444 · 107 L. Ed. 2d 420 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 5831
- Docket number
- 88-840
- Decided
- December 5, 1989
- Argued
- October 3, 1989
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- 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
- 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 Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Golden State Transit Corp. v. City of Los Angeles
SCDB identifiers: case 1989-009, docket 1989-009-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- Marlus C. Zinermon v. Darrell E. Burch
- Ngiraingas v. Sanchez
- Jett v. Dallas Independent School District
- Will v. Michigan Department of State Police
- Hardin v. Straub
- Graham v. Connor
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Felder v. Casey
- National Private Truck Council, Inc. v. Oklahoma Tax Commission
- Patsy v. Board of Regents of the State of Florida
- Marian Johnson v. Kristine L. Fankell
- Fair Assessment in Real Estate Association, Inc. v. McNary
- Chardon v. Fernandez
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Sullivan v. Zebley
- Louis W. Sullivan v. Sandra Everhart
- Marlus C. Zinermon v. Darrell E. Burch
- Missouri v. Jenkins
- Ngiraingas v. Sanchez
- Duro v. Reina
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