Ray v. United States
481 U.S. 736 · Decided May 18, 1987 · 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
Ray v. United States was decided on May 18, 1987 unanimously (9–0). The Court vacated 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 “Subconstitutional fair procedure, miscellaneous” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 481 U.S. 736 · 107 S. Ct. 2093 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 693 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 2052
- Docket number
- 86-281
- Decided
- May 18, 1987
- Argued
- April 28, 1987
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Subconstitutional fair procedure, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
Ray v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-100, docket 1986-100-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Subconstitutional fair procedure, miscellaneous”
- Bank of Nova Scotia v. United States
- Gomez v. United States
- United States v. Powell
- Richard Demarest v. James
- United States v. Darlina K. France
- Peretz v. United States
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colorado v. Connelly
- Griffith v. Kentucky
- Colorado v. Bertine
- Connecticut v. Barrett
- California v. Brown
- Colorado v. Spring
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