United States v. R. L. C.
503 U.S. 291 · Decided March 24, 1992 · 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. R. L. C. was decided on March 24, 1992 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice David H. Souter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Juveniles” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 503 U.S. 291 · 112 S. Ct. 1329 · 117 L. Ed. 2d 559 · 1992 U.S. LEXIS 1948
- Docket number
- 90-1577
- Decided
- March 24, 1992
- Argued
- December 10, 1991
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- David H. Souter
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Juveniles
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 5037
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
United States v. R. L. C.
SCDB identifiers: case 1991-048, docket 1991-048-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Juveniles”
- Carol Ankenbrandt v. Jon A. Richards and Debra Kesler
- Deshaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services
- Schall v. Martin
- Tuten v. United States
- Santosky v. KramerLaw held unconstitutional
- Ralston v. Robinson
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Raymond Mireles v. Howard Waco
- Vladimir Zatko v. California
- Barbara Hafer v. James C. Melo, Jr.
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. National Center for Immigrants' Rights, Inc.
- William 'sky' King v. St. Vincent's Hospital
- County of Yakima v. Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Indian Nation
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