Mercilyn Buchanan Etc. v. Stanships, Inc.
485 U.S. 265 · Decided March 21, 1988 · 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
Mercilyn Buchanan Etc. v. Stanships, Inc. was decided on March 21, 1988 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal rules of civil procedure” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 485 U.S. 265 · 108 S. Ct. 1130 · 99 L. Ed. 2d 289 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 1370
- Docket number
- 87-133
- Decided
- March 21, 1988
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal rules of civil procedure
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- Type of law
- Court rules
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal 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 | Jurisdictional dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| 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
Mercilyn Buchanan Etc. v. Stanships, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1987-048, docket 1987-048-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal rules of civil procedure”
- Marino v. Ortiz
- Torres v. Oakland Scavenger Co.
- Beech Aircraft Corporation v. Rainey
- Crawford Fitting Co. v. J. T. Gibbons, Inc.
- Osterneck v. Ernst & Whinney
- Burlington Northern Railroad Co. v. Woods
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- City of St. Louis v. James H. Praprotnik
- Amadeo v. Zant
- Houston v. Lack
- Omni Capital International, Ltd. v. Rudolf Wolff & Co., Ltd.
- Karcher v. May
- Hilton v. Braunskill
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. McCoy
- Karcher v. May
- National Labor Relations Board v. United Food & Commercial Workers Union
- Vermont v. Cox
- Thompson v. Thompson
- Deakins v. Monaghan
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