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Ronald W. Reagan v. James Abourezk

484 U.S. 1 · Decided October 19, 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

Ronald W. Reagan v. James Abourezk was decided on October 19, 1987 by a vote of 3–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The Justices were equally divided, which leaves the lower court's judgment in place without setting precedent. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Immigration, miscellaneous” in the Civil Rights area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
484 U.S. 1 · 108 S. Ct. 252 · 98 L. Ed. 2d 1 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 4382
Docket number
86-656
Decided
October 19, 1987
Argued
October 5, 1987
Decision type
Equally divided vote
Disposition
Affirmed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
Vote
3–3
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue area
Civil Rights
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.Equally divided vote
Justice Byron R. WhiteEqually divided vote
Justice Thurgood MarshallEqually divided vote
Chief Justice William H. RehnquistEqually divided vote
Justice John Paul StevensEqually divided vote
Justice Sandra Day O'ConnorEqually divided vote

Did not participate: Harry A. Blackmun, Antonin Scalia.

Full case caption

Ronald W. Reagan, President of the United States, et al. v. James Abourezk et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1987-001, docket 1987-001-01.

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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