Lane v. Williams
455 U.S. 624 · Decided March 23, 1982 · 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
Lane v. Williams was decided on March 23, 1982 by a vote of 6–3. The Court vacated the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Mootness” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 455 U.S. 624 · 102 S. Ct. 1322 · 71 L. Ed. 2d 508 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 85
- Docket number
- 80-1240
- Decided
- March 23, 1982
- Argued
- December 1, 1981
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Mootness
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- 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 |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Lane, Corrections Director v. Williams et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-063, docket 1981-063-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Mootness”
- Murphy v. Hunt
- Tully v. Mobil Oil Corp.
- Johnson v. Board of Education of the City of Chicago
- University of Texas v. Camenisch
- Boston Firefighters Union v. Boston Chapter
- Iron Arrow Honor Society v. Heckler
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Leeke v. Timmerman
- Fair Assessment in Real Estate Association, Inc. v. McNary
- Piper Aircraft Co. v. Reyno
- Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Inc.
- Princeton University v. Schmid
- Tully v. Mobil Oil Corp.
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