John R. Van Drasek v. James H. Webb, Jr.
481 U.S. 738 · Decided May 18, 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
John R. Van Drasek v. James H. Webb, Jr. was decided on May 18, 1987 unanimously (9–0). SCDB codes the disposition as “petition denied or appeal dismissed.” The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “No merits, writ improvidently granted” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 481 U.S. 738 · 107 S. Ct. 2171 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 696 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 2050
- Docket number
- 86-319
- Decided
- May 18, 1987
- Argued
- April 29, 1987
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Petition denied or appeal dismissed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- No merits, writ improvidently granted
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
John R. Van Drasek v. James H. Webb, Jr., Secretary of the Navy, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-101, docket 1986-101-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “No merits, writ improvidently granted”
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- Vermont v. Cox
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Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Cerbone v. Conway
- Burke v. Barnes
- Wright v. City of Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority
- Burlington Northern Railroad Co. v. Woods
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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