Cleavinger v. Saxner
474 U.S. 193 · Decided December 10, 1985 · 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
Cleavinger v. Saxner was decided on December 10, 1985 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Governmental liability” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 474 U.S. 193 · 106 S. Ct. 496 · 88 L. Ed. 2d 507 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 148
- Docket number
- 84-732
- Decided
- December 10, 1985
- Argued
- October 16, 1985
- 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
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| 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
Cleavinger et al. v. Saxner et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-016, docket 1985-016-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- United States v. Shearer
- Mitchell v. Forsyth
- United States v. James
- United States v. Johnson
- United States v. S. A. Empresa de Viacao Aerea Rio Grandense
- United States v. Morton
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- United States v. Riverside Bayview Homes, Inc.
- Midlantic National Bank v. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
- Fisher v. City of Berkeley
- Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., LTD v. Zenith Radio Corp.
- Dennison Manufacturing Co. v. Panduit Corp.
- Square D Co. v. Niagara Frontier Tariff Bureau, Inc.
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