Westfall v. Erwin et Ux.
484 U.S. 292 · Decided January 13, 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
Westfall v. Erwin et Ux. was decided on January 13, 1988 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall 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
- 484 U.S. 292 · 108 S. Ct. 580 · 98 L. Ed. 2d 619 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 312
- Docket number
- 86-714
- Decided
- January 13, 1988
- Argued
- November 2, 1987
- 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
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
Westfall et al. v. Erwin et Ux.
SCDB identifiers: case 1987-020, docket 1987-020-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- Berkovitz v. United States
- Sheridan et Ux. v. United States
- Schweiker v. Chilicky
- Boyle v. United Technologies Corp.
- Welch v. Texas Department of Highways and Public TransportationAltered precedent
- Anderson v. Creighton
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Gwaltney of Smithfield, Ltd. v. Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Inc.
- Mullins Coal Co., Inc. of Virginia v. Director
- United Savings Association of Texas v. Timbers of Inwood Forest Associates, Ltd.
- United States v. Fausto
- Laborers Health and Welfare Trust Fund for Northern California v. Advanced Lightweight Concrete Co., Inc.
- K Mart Corporation v. Cartier, Inc.
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