Howard Wyatt v. Bill Cole and John Robbins
504 U.S. 158 · Decided May 18, 1992 · 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
Howard Wyatt v. Bill Cole and John Robbins was decided on May 18, 1992 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor 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
- 504 U.S. 158 · 112 S. Ct. 1827 · 118 L. Ed. 2d 504 · 1992 U.S. LEXIS 2702
- Docket number
- 91-126
- Decided
- May 18, 1992
- Argued
- January 14, 1992
- 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
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- Byron R. White
- 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 Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Concurrence | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent |
Full case caption
Howard Wyatt v. Bill Cole and John Robbins, II
SCDB identifiers: case 1991-071, docket 1991-071-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- Myra Jo Collins v. City of Harker Heights
- Barbara Hafer v. James C. Melo, Jr.
- Raymond Mireles v. Howard Waco
- Jayne Bray v. Alexandria Women's Health Clinic
- Charlene Leatherman v. Tarrant County Narcotics Intelligence and Coordination Unit
- Cathy Burns v. Rick Reed
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- National Private Truck Council, Inc. v. Oklahoma Tax Commission
- Felder v. Casey
- Marian Johnson v. Kristine L. Fankell
- Patsy v. Board of Regents of the State of Florida
- Fair Assessment in Real Estate Association, Inc. v. McNary
- Chardon v. Fernandez
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Raymond Mireles v. Howard Waco
- Vladimir Zatko v. California
- Barbara Hafer v. James C. Melo, Jr.
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. National Center for Immigrants' Rights, Inc.
- William 'sky' King v. St. Vincent's Hospital
- County of Yakima v. Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Indian Nation
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