Kentucky Department of Corrections v. Thompson
490 U.S. 454 · Decided May 15, 1989 · 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
Kentucky Department of Corrections v. Thompson was decided on May 15, 1989 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights” in the Due Process area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 490 U.S. 454 · 109 S. Ct. 1904 · 104 L. Ed. 2d 506 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 2466
- Docket number
- 87-1815
- Decided
- May 15, 1989
- Argued
- January 18, 1989
- 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
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Kentucky Department of Corrections et al. v. Thompson et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-087, docket 1988-087-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights”
- Washington v. Walter Harper
- Michael Owen Perry v. Louisiana
- Board of Pardons v. Allen
- United States v. Salerno
- John H. McCarthy v. Bronson
- Robert C. Rufo v. Inmates of the Suffolk County Jail
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Michael H. v. Gerald D.
- Carella v. California
- Webster v. Reproductive Health Services
- Deshaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services
- National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Jerry Tarkanian
- Arizona v. Youngblood
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
- Arizona v. Youngblood
- National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Jerry Tarkanian
- Duquesne Light Co. v. Barasch
- Michael H. v. Gerald D.
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