Will v. Michigan Department of State Police
491 U.S. 58 · Decided June 15, 1989 · 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
Will v. Michigan Department of State Police was decided on June 15, 1989 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability under civil rights acts” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 491 U.S. 58 · 109 S. Ct. 2304 · 105 L. Ed. 2d 45 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 2975
- Docket number
- 87-1207
- Decided
- June 15, 1989
- Argued
- December 5, 1988
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability under civil rights acts
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Will v. Michigan Department of State Police et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-112, docket 1988-112-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- Jett v. Dallas Independent School District
- Hardin v. Straub
- Graham v. Connor
- City of Canton v. Harris
- Owens v. Okure
- Golden State Transit Corp. v. City of Los Angeles
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Felder v. Casey
- National Private Truck Council, Inc. v. Oklahoma Tax Commission
- Patsy v. Board of Regents of the State of Florida
- Fair Assessment in Real Estate Association, Inc. v. McNary
- Chardon v. Fernandez
- Marian Johnson v. Kristine L. Fankell
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Town of Huntington v. Huntington Branch
- Penson v. Ohio
- Pittston Coal Group v. Sebben
- Owens v. Okure
- City of Richmond v. J. A. Croson CompanyLaw held unconstitutional
- In re McDonald
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