McNamara v. County of San Diego Department of Social Services
488 U.S. 152 · Decided December 6, 1988 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
McNamara v. County of San Diego Department of Social Services was decided on December 6, 1988 unanimously (9–0). SCDB codes the disposition as “petition denied or appeal dismissed.” The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “No merits, no substantial federal question” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 488 U.S. 152 · 109 S. Ct. 546 · 102 L. Ed. 2d 444 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 5532
- Docket number
- 87-5840
- Decided
- December 6, 1988
- Argued
- November 28, 1988
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Petition denied or appeal dismissed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- No merits, no substantial federal question
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
McNamara, Edward v. County of San Diego Department of Social Services
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-010, docket 1988-010-01.
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Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
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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