Neitzke v. Williams
490 U.S. 319 · Decided May 1, 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
Neitzke v. Williams was decided on May 1, 1989 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indigents, miscellaneous” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 490 U.S. 319 · 109 S. Ct. 1827 · 104 L. Ed. 2d 338 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 2231
- Docket number
- 87-1882
- Decided
- May 1, 1989
- Argued
- February 22, 1989
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indigents, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 1915
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Neitzke et al. v. Williams
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-081, docket 1988-081-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indigents, miscellaneous”
- In re McDonald
- In re Michael Sindram
- James Rowland v. California Men's Colony
- John Robert Demos, Jr. v. Michael C. Storrie
- Roy A. Day v. Donald P. Day
- In re George Sassower
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 1915
- Mallard v. United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa
- George F. Denton v. Mike Hernandez
- Johnson v. United States
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