Stewart v. Abend
495 U.S. 207 · Decided April 24, 1990 · 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
Stewart v. Abend was decided on April 24, 1990 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Copyrights” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 495 U.S. 207 · 110 S. Ct. 1750 · 109 L. Ed. 2d 184 · 1990 U.S. LEXIS 2184
- Docket number
- 88-2102
- Decided
- April 24, 1990
- Argued
- January 9, 1990
- 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
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Copyrights
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 17 U.S.C. § 1
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- 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 | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Stewart et al. v. Abend, Dba Authors Research Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1989-071, docket 1989-071-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Copyrights”
- Community for Creative Non-Violence v. Reid
- Feist Publications, Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co., Inc.
- Luther R. Campbell aka Luke Skyywalker v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.
- Harper & Row v. Nation Enterprises
- Mills Music, Inc. v. Snyder
- Lotus Development Corporation v. Borland International, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Northbrook National Insurance Company v. Larry W. Brewer
- Olaf A. Hallstrom v. Tillamook County
- Michigan Citizens for an Independent Press v. Thornburgh
- Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company v. Nancy J. Schwalb and William McGlone
- Bob Reves v. Ernst & Young
- Lawrence H. Crandon 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