City of Riverside v. Rivera
477 U.S. 561 · Decided June 27, 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
City of Riverside v. Rivera was decided on June 27, 1986 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion announcing the judgment 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
- 477 U.S. 561 · 106 S. Ct. 2686 · 91 L. Ed. 2d 466 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 69
- Docket number
- 85-224
- Decided
- June 27, 1986
- Argued
- March 31, 1986
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- 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. | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent |
Full case caption
City of Riverside et al. v. Rivera et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-136, docket 1985-136-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Attorneys' and officials' fees, compensation, or licenses”
- Library of Congress v. Shaw
- Pennsylvania v. Delaware Valley Citizens' Council for Clean Air
- Evans v. Jeff D.
- North Carolina Department of Transportation v. Crest Street Community Council, Inc.
- Hewitt v. Helms
- Kentucky v. Graham
Same Term, same area (Attorneys)
- Evans v. Jeff D.
- Library of Congress v. Shaw
- Pennsylvania v. Delaware Valley Citizens' Council for Clean Air
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