Wilson v. Garcia
471 U.S. 261 · Decided April 17, 1985 · 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
Wilson v. Garcia was decided on April 17, 1985 by a vote of 7–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens 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
- 471 U.S. 261 · 105 S. Ct. 1938 · 85 L. Ed. 2d 254 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 1
- Docket number
- 83-2146
- Decided
- April 17, 1985
- Argued
- January 14, 1985
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–1
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- 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)
- 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 William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..
Full case caption
Wilson et al. v. Garcia
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-083, docket 1984-083-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- Springfield Township School District v. Knoll
- City of Oklahoma City v. Tuttle
- Brandon v. Holt
- Daniels v. WilliamsAltered precedent
- Davidson v. Cannon
- Davis v. Scherer
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Patsy v. Board of Regents of the State of Florida
- Felder v. Casey
- Fair Assessment in Real Estate Association, Inc. v. McNary
- Chardon v. Fernandez
- Robertson v. Wegmann
- Aldinger v. Howard
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Thurston
- Alexander v. Choate
- Brandon v. Holt
- United States v. Dann
- Ake v. Oklahoma
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Hampton County Election Commission
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