Skinner v. Railway Labor Executives' Association
489 U.S. 602 · Decided March 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
Skinner v. Railway Labor Executives' Association was decided on March 21, 1989 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 489 U.S. 602 · 109 S. Ct. 1402 · 103 L. Ed. 2d 639 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 1568
- Docket number
- 87-1555
- Decided
- March 21, 1989
- Argued
- November 2, 1988
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Search and seizure (general)
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourth Amendment
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Skinner, Secretary of Transportation, et al. v. Railway Labor Executives' Association et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-054, docket 1988-054-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- National Treasury Employees Union v. Von Raab
- United States v. Sokolow
- Florida v. Riley
- Murray v. United States
- Michigan v. Chesternut
- James v. Illinois
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Brower v. County of Inyo
- Florida v. Wells
- Alabama v. Vanessa Rose White
- Michigan Department of State Police v. Rick Sitz
- Florida v. Luz Piedad Jimeno
- Colorado v. Bertine
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Pennsylvania v. Bruder
- Lockhart, A. L. v. Nelson
- Olden v. Kentucky
- Perry v. Leeke
- Florida v. Riley
- United States v. Broce
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