Allen v. Wright
468 U.S. 737 · Decided July 3, 1984 · 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
Allen v. Wright was decided on July 3, 1984 by a vote of 5–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Standing, personal injury” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 468 U.S. 737 · 104 S. Ct. 3315 · 82 L. Ed. 2d 556 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 149
- Docket number
- 81-757
- Decided
- July 3, 1984
- Argued
- February 29, 1984
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Standing, personal injury
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Article III, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (case or controversy requirement)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- 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 | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall.
Full case caption
Allen v. Wright et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-166, docket 1983-166-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Standing, personal injury”
- City of Los Angeles v. Lyons
- Diamond v. Charles
- International Union v. Brock
- Leeke v. Timmerman
- Karcher v. May
- Whitmore v. Arkansas
Cases on the same legal provision: Article III, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (case or controversy requirement)
- Secretary of State of Maryland v. Joseph H. Munson Co., Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Board of License Commissioners of the Town of Tiverton v. Pastore
- Iron Arrow Honor Society v. Heckler
- Honig v. Students of the California School for the Blind
- Thomas v. Union Carbide Agricultural Products Co.
- Verlinden Bv v. Central Bank of Nigeria
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Iron Arrow Honor Society v. Heckler
- United States v. Mendoza
- United States v. Stauffer Chemical Co.
- Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee Corp.
- Flanagan v. United States
- Colorado v. Nunez
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