Wright v. City of Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority
479 U.S. 418 · Decided January 14, 1987 · 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
Wright v. City of Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority was decided on January 14, 1987 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Standing, private or implied cause of action” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 479 U.S. 418 · 107 S. Ct. 766 · 93 L. Ed. 2d 781 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 288
- Docket number
- 85-5915
- Decided
- January 14, 1987
- Argued
- October 6, 1986
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Standing, private or implied cause of action
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- 42 U.S.C. § 1437
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent |
Full case caption
Wright et al. v. City of Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-023, docket 1986-023-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Standing, private or implied cause of action”
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- California v. Sierra Club
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Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1437
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Cerbone v. Conway
- Burke v. Barnes
- Burlington Northern Railroad Co. v. Woods
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- Stringfellow v. Concerned Neighbors in Action
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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