Virginia v. American Booksellers Association, Inc.
484 U.S. 383 · Decided January 25, 1988 · 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
Virginia v. American Booksellers Association, Inc. was decided on January 25, 1988 unanimously (8–0). SCDB codes the disposition as “certification to or from a lower court.” Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Standing, direct injury” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 484 U.S. 383 · 108 S. Ct. 636 · 98 L. Ed. 2d 782 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 575
- Docket number
- 86-1034
- Decided
- January 25, 1988
- Argued
- November 4, 1987
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Certification to or from a lower court
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Standing, direct injury
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
Virginia v. American Booksellers Association, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1987-025, docket 1987-025-01.
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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