Green v. Bock Laundry Machine Co.
490 U.S. 504 · Decided May 22, 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
Green v. Bock Laundry Machine Co. was decided on May 22, 1989 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal rules of civil procedure” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 490 U.S. 504 · 109 S. Ct. 1981 · 104 L. Ed. 2d 557 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 2567
- Docket number
- 87-1816
- Decided
- May 22, 1989
- Argued
- January 18, 1989
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal rules of civil procedure
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Federal Rules of Evidence
- Type of law
- Court rules
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Green v. Bock Laundry Machine Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-091, docket 1988-091-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Rules of Evidence
- United States v. Zolin
- Huddleston v. United States
- Bourjaily v. United States
- Tanner v. United States
- United States v. Anthony Salerno
- William Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- McNamara v. County of San Diego Department of Social Services
- Beech Aircraft Corporation v. Rainey
- Bowen v. Georgetown University Hospital
- Harbison-Walker Refractories v. Brieck
- Argentine Republic v. Amerada Hess Shipping Corp.
- Mark H. Oring v. State Bar of California
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