Mesa v. California
489 U.S. 121 · Decided February 21, 1989 · 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
Mesa v. California was decided on February 21, 1989 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Comity, criminal procedure” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 489 U.S. 121 · 109 S. Ct. 959 · 103 L. Ed. 2d 99 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 596
- Docket number
- 87-1206
- Decided
- February 21, 1989
- Argued
- December 6, 1988
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Comity, criminal procedure
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 1442
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Mesa et al. v. California
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-033, docket 1988-033-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Comity, criminal procedure”
- Joe Mario Trevino v. Texas
- Arizona v. Manypenny
- Pacileo v. Walker
- United States v. Gillock
- Timothy Booth v. C. O. Churner
- Ellis v. Dyson
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 1442
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
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- Bowen v. Georgetown University Hospital
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- Mark H. Oring v. State Bar of California
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