H. J. Inc. v. Northwestern Bell Telephone Co.
492 U.S. 229 · Decided June 26, 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
H. J. Inc. v. Northwestern Bell Telephone Co. was decided on June 26, 1989 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Statutory construction of criminal laws, financial crimes” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 492 U.S. 229 · 109 S. Ct. 2893 · 106 L. Ed. 2d 195 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 3239
- Docket number
- 87-1252
- Decided
- June 26, 1989
- Argued
- November 8, 1988
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
H. J. Inc. et al. v. Northwestern Bell Telephone Co. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-143, docket 1988-143-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Statutory construction of criminal laws, financial crimes”
- Bell v. United States
- Williams v. United States
- McElroy v. United States
- Chiarella v. United States
- United States v. Efrain Santos and Benedicto Diaz
- Humberto Fidel Regalado Cuellar v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)
- Tafflin v. Levitt
- Agency Holding Corp. v. Malley-Duff & Associates, Inc.
- Robert G. Holmes, Jr. v. Securities Investor Protection Corporation
- Bob Reves v. Ernst & Young
- Sedima, S.P.R.L. v. Imrex Co., Inc.
- American National Bank & Trust Company of Chicago v. Haroco, Inc.
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