Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Cardoza-Fonseca
480 U.S. 421 · Decided March 9, 1987 · 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
Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Cardoza-Fonseca was decided on March 9, 1987 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 “Deportation” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 480 U.S. 421 · 107 S. Ct. 1207 · 94 L. Ed. 2d 434 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 1059
- Docket number
- 85-782
- Decided
- March 9, 1987
- Argued
- October 7, 1986
- 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 J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Deportation
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Immigration and Nationality statutes
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Cardoza-Fonseca
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-051, docket 1986-051-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Deportation”
- United States v. Mendoza-Lopez
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Hector
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Assibi Abudu
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Rios-Pineda
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Stevic
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Phinpathya
Cases on the same legal provision: Immigration and Nationality statutes
- Kungys v. United States
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Pangilinan
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. ChadhaLaw held unconstitutional
- Gene McNary v. Haitian Refugee Center, Inc.
- Landon v. Plasencia
- Fedorenko v. United States
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Ansonia Board of Education v. Philbrook
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Hector
- Munro v. Socialist Workers Party
- Tashjian v. Republican Party of ConnecticutLaw held unconstitutional
- California Federal Savings & Loan Assn. v. Guerra
- City of Pleasant Grove v. United States
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