Mistretta v. United States
488 U.S. 361 · Decided January 18, 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
Mistretta v. United States was decided on January 18, 1989 by a vote of 8–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Miscellaneous” in the Miscellaneous area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 488 U.S. 361 · 109 S. Ct. 647 · 102 L. Ed. 2d 714 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 434
- Docket number
- 87-7028
- Decided
- January 18, 1989
- Argued
- October 5, 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
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Miscellaneous
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 3551
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Unspecifiable 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Mistretta v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-023, docket 1988-023-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Miscellaneous”
- United States v. Stuart
- Morrison v. Olson
- Phillips Petroleum Co. v. Mississippi
- Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority v. Citizens for the Abatement of Aircraft Noise, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Thomas Freytag v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
- Bowsher v. SynarLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: 18 U.S.C. § 3551
Same Term, same area (Miscellaneous)
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