Wrenn v. Benson
490 U.S. 89 · Decided April 17, 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
Wrenn v. Benson was decided on April 17, 1989 by a vote of 6–3. SCDB codes the disposition as “petition denied or appeal dismissed.” The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indigents, costs or filing fees” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 490 U.S. 89 · 109 S. Ct. 1629 · 104 L. Ed. 2d 80 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 1901
- Docket number
- 88-6494
- Decided
- April 17, 1989
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Petition denied or appeal dismissed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indigents, costs or filing fees
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Supreme Court Rules
- Type of law
- Court rules
- 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 | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| 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
Wrenn v. Benson et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-071, docket 1988-071-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indigents, costs or filing fees”
- George F. Denton v. Mike Hernandez
- In re Maria Luisa Costell Gaydos
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- Little v. StreaterLaw held unconstitutional
- Vincent F. Rivera v. Florida Department of Corrections
- Fuller v. Oregon
Cases on the same legal provision: Supreme Court Rules
- In re McDonald
- In re Michael Sindram
- Vladimir Zatko v. California
- James L. Martin v. District of Columbia Court of Appeals
- John Robert Demos, Jr. v. Michael C. Storrie
- Roy A. Day v. Donald P. Day
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