Hensley v. Eckerhart
461 U.S. 424 · Decided May 16, 1983 · 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
Hensley v. Eckerhart was decided on May 16, 1983 by a vote of 5–4. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Attorneys' and officials' fees, compensation, or licenses” in the Attorneys area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 461 U.S. 424 · 103 S. Ct. 1933 · 76 L. Ed. 2d 40 · 1983 U.S. LEXIS 160
- Docket number
- 81-1244
- Decided
- May 16, 1983
- Argued
- November 3, 1982
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Attorneys
- Legal provision
- Civil Rights Attorney's Fees Awards Act
- 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. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Hensley et al. v. Eckerhart et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1982-077, docket 1982-077-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Attorneys' and officials' fees, compensation, or licenses”
- Ruckelshaus v. Sierra Club
- Blum v. Stenson
- Summit Valley Industries, Inc. v. Local 112
- Smith v. Robinson
- White v. New Hampshire Department of Employment Security
- Roger L. Spencer v. South Carolina Tax Commission
Same Term, same area (Attorneys)
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