Stafford, U.S. Attorney v. Briggs
444 U.S. 527 · Decided February 20, 1980 · 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
Stafford, U.S. Attorney v. Briggs was decided on February 20, 1980 by a vote of 5–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Venue” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 444 U.S. 527 · 100 S. Ct. 774 · 63 L. Ed. 2d 1 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 76
- Docket number
- 77-1546
- Decided
- February 20, 1980
- Argued
- April 24, 1979
- Reargued
- November 7, 1979
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–2
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Venue
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 1391
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Did not participate: Byron R. White, Thurgood Marshall.
Full case caption
Stafford, U.S. Attorney, et al. v. Briggs et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-033, docket 1979-033-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Venue”
- Leroy v. Great Western United Corp.
- Piper Aircraft Co. v. Reyno
- Citizens & Southern National Bank v. Bougas
- Radzanower v. Touche Ross & Co.
- American Motorists Insurance Co. v. Starnes
- National Bank of North America v. Associates of Obstetrics and Female Surgery, Inc.
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 1391
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- United States v. Benmar Transport & Leasing Corp.
- Strycker's Bay Neighborhood Council, Inc. v. Karlen
- Estes v. Metropolitan Branches of the Dallas NAACP
- Crowell v. Mader
- Seatrain Shipbuilding Corp. v. Shell Oil Co.
- Massachusetts v. Meehan
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