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Pulliam v. Allen

466 U.S. 522 · Decided May 14, 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

Pulliam v. Allen was decided on May 14, 1984 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun 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. 522 · 104 S. Ct. 1970 · 80 L. Ed. 2d 565 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 75
Docket number
82-1432
Decided
May 14, 1984
Argued
November 2, 1983
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Affirmed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
Vote
5–4
Majority opinion
Harry A. Blackmun
Opinion assigned by
William J. Brennan Jr.
How the case arrived
Certiorari
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

Full case caption

Pulliam, Magistrate for the County of Culpeper, Virginia v. Allen et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1983-087, docket 1983-087-01.

Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”

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Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)

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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