CaseTrail

Kelly v. Robinson

479 U.S. 36 · Decided November 12, 1986 · 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

Kelly v. Robinson was decided on November 12, 1986 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Bankruptcy” in the Economic Activity area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
479 U.S. 36 · 107 S. Ct. 353 · 93 L. Ed. 2d 216 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 17
Docket number
85-1033
Decided
November 12, 1986
Argued
October 8, 1986
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
7–2
Majority opinion
Lewis F. Powell Jr.
Opinion assigned by
William H. Rehnquist
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue (SCDB)
Bankruptcy
Legal provision
Bankruptcy Code or Bankruptcy Act
Type of law
Federal statute
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

Kelly, Connecticut Chief State's Attorney, et al. v. Robinson

SCDB identifiers: case 1986-004, docket 1986-004-01.

Other cases on “Bankruptcy”

See all

Cases on the same legal provision: Bankruptcy Code or Bankruptcy Act

Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)

See all

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