McDonald v. City of West Branch
466 U.S. 284 · Decided April 18, 1984 · 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
McDonald v. City of West Branch was decided on April 18, 1984 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. 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
- 466 U.S. 284 · 104 S. Ct. 1799 · 80 L. Ed. 2d 302 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 59
- Docket number
- 83-219
- Decided
- April 18, 1984
- Argued
- February 27, 1984
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- 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. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
McDonald v. City of West Branch, Michigan, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-071, docket 1983-071-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- Pulliam v. Allen
- Tower v. Glover
- Burnett v. Grattan
- Davis v. Scherer
- Migra v. Warren City School District Board of Education
- Brandon v. Holt
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Patsy v. Board of Regents of the State of Florida
- Fair Assessment in Real Estate Association, Inc. v. McNary
- Chardon v. Fernandez
- Felder v. Casey
- Robertson v. Wegmann
- Aldinger v. Howard
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Phinpathya
- Migra v. Warren City School District Board of Education
- United Building & Construction Trades Council of Camden County and Vicinity v. Mayor and Council of the City of Camden
- McCain v. Lybrand
- Solem v. Bartlett
- Consolidated Rail Corporation v. Darrone
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