United States v. Morton
467 U.S. 822 · Decided June 19, 1984 · 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. Morton was decided on June 19, 1984 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens 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
- 467 U.S. 822 · 104 S. Ct. 2769 · 81 L. Ed. 2d 680 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 117
- Docket number
- 83-916
- Decided
- June 19, 1984
- Argued
- April 25, 1984
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 42 U.S.C. § 659
- 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 | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Morton
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-133, docket 1983-133-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- United States v. S. A. Empresa de Viacao Aerea Rio Grandense
- Kosak v. United States
- United States v. Mitchell
- Mitchell v. Forsyth
- Chappell v. Wallace
- Bush v. Lucas
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority v. Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company of Virginia
- Secretary of the Interior v. California
- Sony Corporation of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc.
- Daily Income Fund, Inc. v. Fox
- Southland Corp. v. Keating
- Dixson 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