Gomez v. United States
490 U.S. 858 · Decided June 12, 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
Gomez v. United States was decided on June 12, 1989 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Subconstitutional fair procedure, miscellaneous” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 490 U.S. 858 · 109 S. Ct. 2237 · 104 L. Ed. 2d 923 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 2938
- Docket number
- 88-5014
- Decided
- June 12, 1989
- Argued
- April 24, 1989
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Subconstitutional fair procedure, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 636
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated 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 | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Gomez v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-107, docket 1988-107-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Subconstitutional fair procedure, miscellaneous”
- Bank of Nova Scotia v. United States
- Richard Demarest v. James
- United States v. Darlina K. France
- Peretz v. United States
- Ray v. United States
- United States v. Richard Wilson
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 636
- John H. McCarthy v. Bronson
- Thomas v. Arn
- United States v. Raddatz
- Mathews v. Weber
- Joseph C. Roell v. Jon Michael Withrow
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Pennsylvania v. Bruder
- Lockhart, A. L. v. Nelson
- Olden v. Kentucky
- Perry v. Leeke
- Florida v. Riley
- United States v. Broce
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