Solorio v. United States
483 U.S. 435 · Decided June 25, 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
Solorio v. United States was decided on June 25, 1987 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Military, active duty” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 483 U.S. 435 · 107 S. Ct. 2924 · 97 L. Ed. 2d 364 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 2892
- Docket number
- 85-1581
- Decided
- June 25, 1987
- Argued
- February 24, 1987
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Military, active duty
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 14 (governance of the armed forces)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- 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 | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
Solorio v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-153, docket 1986-153-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Military, active duty”
- William 'sky' King v. St. Vincent's Hospital
- Thomas F. Conroy v. Walter Aniskoff, Jr.
- Eric J. Weiss v. United States
- James D. Ryder v. United States
- Dwight J. Loving v. United States
- United States v. Larionoff
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 14 (governance of the armed forces)
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Ansonia Board of Education v. Philbrook
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Hector
- Munro v. Socialist Workers Party
- Tashjian v. Republican Party of ConnecticutLaw held unconstitutional
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- City of Pleasant Grove v. United States
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