Graham v. Connor
490 U.S. 386 · Decided May 15, 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
Graham v. Connor was decided on May 15, 1989 unanimously (9–0). The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist 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
- 490 U.S. 386 · 109 S. Ct. 1865 · 104 L. Ed. 2d 443 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 2467
- Docket number
- 87-6571
- Decided
- May 15, 1989
- Argued
- February 21, 1989
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- 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)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Graham v. Connor et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-084, docket 1988-084-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- Hardin v. Straub
- Will v. Michigan Department of State Police
- Jett v. Dallas Independent School District
- City of Canton v. Harris
- Owens v. Okure
- Golden State Transit Corp. v. City of Los Angeles
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Felder v. Casey
- National Private Truck Council, Inc. v. Oklahoma Tax Commission
- Patsy v. Board of Regents of the State of Florida
- Fair Assessment in Real Estate Association, Inc. v. McNary
- Chardon v. Fernandez
- Marian Johnson v. Kristine L. Fankell
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Town of Huntington v. Huntington Branch
- Penson v. Ohio
- Pittston Coal Group v. Sebben
- Owens v. Okure
- City of Richmond v. J. A. Croson CompanyLaw held unconstitutional
- In re McDonald
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