Public Citizen v. United States Department of Justice
491 U.S. 440 · Decided June 21, 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
Public Citizen v. United States Department of Justice was decided on June 21, 1989 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Freedom of Information Act and related laws” in the Privacy area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 491 U.S. 440 · 109 S. Ct. 2558 · 105 L. Ed. 2d 377 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 3119
- Docket number
- 88-429
- Decided
- June 21, 1989
- Argued
- April 17, 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
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Freedom of Information Act and related laws
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Legal provision
- 5 U.S.C. § 1
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative 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 | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Antonin Scalia.
Full case caption
Public Citizen v. United States Department of Justice et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-125, docket 1988-125-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Freedom of Information Act and related laws”
- United States Department of Justice v. Tax Analysts
- United States Department of Justice v. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
- John Doe Agency and John Doe Government Agency v. John Doe Corporation
- Church of Scientology of California v. Internal Revenue Service
- Societe Nationale Industrielle Aerospatiale v. United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa
- United States Department of State v. Michael D. Ray
Same Term, same area (Privacy)
- United States Department of Justice v. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
- United States Department of Justice v. Tax Analysts
- Webster v. Reproductive Health Services
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