Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Jairo Jonathan Elias-Zacarias
502 U.S. 478 · Decided January 22, 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
Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Jairo Jonathan Elias-Zacarias was decided on January 22, 1992 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Deportation” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 502 U.S. 478 · 112 S. Ct. 812 · 117 L. Ed. 2d 38 · 1992 U.S. LEXIS 550
- Docket number
- 90-1342
- Decided
- January 22, 1992
- Argued
- November 4, 1991
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- 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)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority |
Full case caption
Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Jairo Jonathan Elias-Zacarias
SCDB identifiers: case 1991-029, docket 1991-029-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Deportation”
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. National Center for Immigrants' Rights, Inc.
- Janet Reno v. Jenny Lisette Flores
- Chris Sale v. Haitian Centers Council, Inc.
- Marvin Stone v. Immigration and Naturalization Service
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Assibi Abudu
- United States v. Mendoza-Lopez
Cases on the same legal provision: Immigration and Nationality statutes
- Gene McNary v. Haitian Refugee Center, Inc.
- Janet Reno v. Catholic Social Services, Inc.
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Pangilinan
- Kungys v. United States
- United States Department of State v. Legal Assistance for Vietnamese Asylum Seekers, Inc.
- Lorelyn Penero Miller v. Madeleine K. Albright
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