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Wyoming v. United States

492 U.S. 406 · Decided June 26, 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

Wyoming v. United States was decided on June 26, 1989 by a vote of 4–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The Justices were equally divided, which leaves the lower court's judgment in place without setting precedent.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
492 U.S. 406 · 109 S. Ct. 2994 · 106 L. Ed. 2d 342 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 3173
Docket number
88-309
Decided
June 26, 1989
Argued
April 25, 1989
Decision type
Equally divided vote
Disposition
Affirmed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
Vote
4–4
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Decision direction (SCDB)
Unspecifiable what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.Equally divided vote
Justice Byron R. WhiteEqually divided vote
Justice Thurgood MarshallEqually divided vote
Justice Harry A. BlackmunEqually divided vote
Chief Justice William H. RehnquistEqually divided vote
Justice John Paul StevensEqually divided vote
Justice Antonin ScaliaEqually divided vote
Justice Anthony M. KennedyEqually divided vote

Did not participate: Sandra Day O'Connor.

Full case caption

Wyoming v. United States et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1988-147, docket 1988-147-01.

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