Mark E. Dennis v. Margaret L. Higgins
498 U.S. 439 · Decided February 20, 1991 · 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
Mark E. Dennis v. Margaret L. Higgins was decided on February 20, 1991 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability under civil rights acts” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 498 U.S. 439 · 111 S. Ct. 865 · 112 L. Ed. 2d 969 · 1991 U.S. LEXIS 1142
- Docket number
- 89-1555
- Decided
- February 20, 1991
- Argued
- October 31, 1990
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Byron R. White
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability under civil rights acts
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority |
Full case caption
Mark E. Dennis v. Margaret L. Higgins, Director, Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1990-036, docket 1990-036-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- Cathy Burns v. Rick Reed
- Raymond Mireles v. Howard Waco
- Barbara Hafer v. James C. Melo, Jr.
- Ngiraingas v. Sanchez
- Marlus C. Zinermon v. Darrell E. Burch
- Myra Jo Collins v. City of Harker Heights
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Felder v. Casey
- National Private Truck Council, Inc. v. Oklahoma Tax Commission
- Marian Johnson v. Kristine L. Fankell
- Patsy v. Board of Regents of the State of Florida
- Fair Assessment in Real Estate Association, Inc. v. McNary
- Chardon v. Fernandez
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- In re Michael Sindram
- Board of Education of Oklahoma City Public Schools v. Robert L. Dowell
- Oklahoma Tax Commission v. Citizen Band Potawatomi Indian Tribe of Oklahoma
- International Union v. Johnson Controls, Inc.
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Arabian American Oil Co.
- Powers v. Ohio
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