Hewitt v. Helms
482 U.S. 755 · Decided June 19, 1987 · 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
Hewitt v. Helms was decided on June 19, 1987 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Antonin Scalia 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
- 482 U.S. 755 · 107 S. Ct. 2672 · 96 L. Ed. 2d 654 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 2726
- Docket number
- 85-1630
- Decided
- June 19, 1987
- Argued
- March 4, 1987
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- 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 William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Hewitt et al. v. Helms
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-135, docket 1986-135-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Attorneys' and officials' fees, compensation, or licenses”
- Pennsylvania v. Delaware Valley Citizens' Council for Clean Air
- North Carolina Department of Transportation v. Crest Street Community Council, Inc.
- Otis R. Bowen v. Mary Alice Galbreath
- Pennsylvania v. Delaware Valley Citizens' Council for Clean Air
- Library of Congress v. Shaw
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Same Term, same area (Attorneys)
- North Carolina Department of Transportation v. Crest Street Community Council, Inc.
- 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