Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc.
477 U.S. 242 · Decided June 25, 1986 · 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
Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc. was decided on June 25, 1986 by a vote of 6–3. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Libel and defamation” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 477 U.S. 242 · 106 S. Ct. 2505 · 91 L. Ed. 2d 202 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 115
- Docket number
- 84-1602
- Decided
- June 25, 1986
- Argued
- December 3, 1985
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Byron R. White
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Libel and defamation
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- Type of law
- Court rules
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Anderson et al. v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-125, docket 1985-125-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Libel and defamation”
- Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. v. HeppsLaw held unconstitutional
- Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. v. Greenmoss Builders, Inc.
- McDonald v. Smith
- Hustler Magazine and Larry C. Flynt v. Jerry Falwell
- Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of United States, Inc.
- Harte-Hanks Communications, Inc. v. Connaughton
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- Celotex Corp. v. Catrett
- Acosta v. Louisiana Department of Health and Human Resources
- Schiavone v. Fortune
- Icicle Seafoods, Inc. v. Worthington
- Dennison Manufacturing Co. v. Panduit Corp.
- Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., LTD v. Zenith Radio Corp.
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Witters v. Washington Department of Services for the Blind
- Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. Public Utilities Commission of CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
- City of Renton v. Playtime Theatres, Inc.
- Goldman v. Weinberger
- Bender v. Williamsport Area School District
- Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. v. HeppsLaw held unconstitutional
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