Blanchard v. Bergeron
489 U.S. 87 · Decided February 21, 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
Blanchard v. Bergeron was decided on February 21, 1989 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed 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 “Attorneys' and officials' fees, compensation, or licenses” in the Attorneys area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 489 U.S. 87 · 109 S. Ct. 939 · 103 L. Ed. 2d 67 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 595
- Docket number
- 87-1485
- Decided
- February 21, 1989
- Argued
- November 28, 1988
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Attorneys
- Legal provision
- Civil Rights Attorney's Fees Awards Act
- Type of law
- Federal 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 | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Blanchard v. Bergeron et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-031, docket 1988-031-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Attorneys' and officials' fees, compensation, or licenses”
- Texas State Teachers Association v. Garland Independent School District
- Sullivan v. Hudson
- Missouri v. Jenkins
- Independent Federation of Flight Attendants v. Zipes
- Rhodes v. Stewart
- Pierce v. Underwood
Same Term, same area (Attorneys)
- Rhodes v. Stewart
- Texas State Teachers Association v. Garland Independent School District
- Sullivan v. Hudson
- Missouri v. Jenkins
- Independent Federation of Flight Attendants v. Zipes
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