Morrison v. Olson
487 U.S. 654 · Decided June 27, 1988 · 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
Morrison v. Olson was decided on June 27, 1988 by a vote of 7–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Miscellaneous” in the Miscellaneous area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 487 U.S. 654 · 108 S. Ct. 2597 · 101 L. Ed. 2d 569 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 3034
- Docket number
- 87-1279
- Decided
- June 27, 1988
- Argued
- April 26, 1988
- 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
- 7–1
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Miscellaneous
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 49
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Unspecifiable what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Anthony M. Kennedy.
Full case caption
Morrison, Independent Counsel v. Olson et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1987-149, docket 1987-149-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Miscellaneous”
- Phillips Petroleum Co. v. Mississippi
- Mistretta v. United States
- United States v. Stuart
- Bowsher v. SynarLaw held unconstitutional
- Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority v. Citizens for the Abatement of Aircraft Noise, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Thomas Freytag v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
Same Term, same area (Miscellaneous)
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