United States v. James
478 U.S. 597 · Decided July 2, 1986 · 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
United States v. James was decided on July 2, 1986 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Governmental liability” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 478 U.S. 597 · 106 S. Ct. 3116 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 483 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 136
- Docket number
- 85-434
- Decided
- July 2, 1986
- Argued
- April 21, 1986
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 33 U.S.C. § 702
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent |
Full case caption
United States v. James et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-157, docket 1985-157-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- Cleavinger v. Saxner
- United States v. Johnson
- Welch v. Texas Department of Highways and Public TransportationAltered precedent
- Anderson v. Creighton
- United States v. Stanley
- United States v. Shearer
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- United States v. Riverside Bayview Homes, Inc.
- Cleavinger v. Saxner
- Midlantic National Bank v. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
- Fisher v. City of Berkeley
- Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., LTD v. Zenith Radio Corp.
- Dennison Manufacturing Co. v. Panduit Corp.
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