Dale Farrar and Pat Smith v. William P. Hobby, Jr.
506 U.S. 103 · Decided December 14, 1992 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Dale Farrar and Pat Smith v. William P. Hobby, Jr. was decided on December 14, 1992 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Clarence Thomas 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
- 506 U.S. 103 · 113 S. Ct. 566 · 121 L. Ed. 2d 494 · 1992 U.S. LEXIS 7846
- Docket number
- 91-990
- Decided
- December 14, 1992
- Argued
- October 7, 1992
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Clarence Thomas
- 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)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Dale Farrar and Pat Smith, Co-Administrators of Estate of Joseph D. Farrar, Deceased v. William P. Hobby, Jr.
SCDB identifiers: case 1992-010, docket 1992-010-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Attorneys' and officials' fees, compensation, or licenses”
- City of Burlington v. Ernest Dague, Sr.
- Donna E. Shalala v. Richard H. Schaefer
- Rafeh-Rafie Ardestani v. Immigration and Naturalization Service
- John C. Fogerty v. Fantasy, Inc.
- Kay v. Ehrler
- West Virginia University Hospitals, Inc. v. Robert Casey
Same Term, same area (Attorneys)
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