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Imbler v. Pachtman

424 U.S. 409 · Decided March 2, 1976 · 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

Imbler v. Pachtman was decided on March 2, 1976 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability under civil rights acts” in the Civil Rights area.

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Case details

Citations
424 U.S. 409 · 96 S. Ct. 984 · 47 L. Ed. 2d 128 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 25
Docket number
74-5435
Decided
March 2, 1976
Argued
November 3, 1975
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Affirmed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
Vote
8–0 (unanimous)
Majority opinion
Lewis F. Powell Jr.
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue area
Civil Rights
Legal provision
42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
Type of law
Federal statute
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.Special concurrence
Justice Potter StewartMajority
Justice Byron R. WhiteSpecial concurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Thurgood MarshallSpecial concurrence
Chief Justice Warren E. BurgerMajority
Justice Harry A. BlackmunMajority
Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr.MajorityWrote an opinion
Justice William H. RehnquistMajority

Did not participate: John Paul Stevens.

Full case caption

Imbler v. Pachtman, District Attorney

SCDB identifiers: case 1975-040, docket 1975-040-01.

Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”

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Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)

Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)

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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