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McDonald v. City of West Branch

466 U.S. 284 · Decided April 18, 1984 · 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

McDonald v. City of West Branch was decided on April 18, 1984 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. 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
466 U.S. 284 · 104 S. Ct. 1799 · 80 L. Ed. 2d 302 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 59
Docket number
83-219
Decided
April 18, 1984
Argued
February 27, 1984
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed and remanded
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
9–0 (unanimous)
Majority opinion
William J. Brennan Jr.
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Certiorari
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

Full case caption

McDonald v. City of West Branch, Michigan, et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1983-071, docket 1983-071-01.

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Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)

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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