Briscoe v. Lahue
460 U.S. 325 · Decided March 7, 1983 · 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
Briscoe v. Lahue was decided on March 7, 1983 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability under civil rights acts” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 460 U.S. 325 · 103 S. Ct. 1108 · 75 L. Ed. 2d 96 · 1983 U.S. LEXIS 146
- Docket number
- 81-1404
- Decided
- March 7, 1983
- Argued
- November 9, 1982
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability under civil rights acts
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- 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 | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Briscoe et al. v. Lahue et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1982-041, docket 1982-041-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- Kush v. Rutledge
- Smith v. Wade
- Haring v. Prosise
- Chardon v. Fumero Soto
- United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners of America v. Scott
- General Building Contractors Association, Inc. v. Pennsylvania
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Patsy v. Board of Regents of the State of Florida
- Fair Assessment in Real Estate Association, Inc. v. McNary
- Chardon v. Fernandez
- Robertson v. Wegmann
- Felder v. Casey
- Aldinger v. Howard
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Miranda
- City of Port Arthur v. United States
- City of Lockhart v. United States
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Wyoming
- Arizona v. California
- Tuten v. United States
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