Territory of Guam v. Olsen
431 U.S. 195 · Decided May 23, 1977 · 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
Territory of Guam v. Olsen was decided on May 23, 1977 by a vote of 5–4. 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 “Jurisdiction of federal district or territorial courts” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 431 U.S. 195 · 97 S. Ct. 1774 · 52 L. Ed. 2d 250 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 90
- Docket number
- 76-439
- Decided
- May 23, 1977
- Argued
- March 29, 1977
- 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
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- 48 U.S.C. § 1424
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent |
Full case caption
Territory of Guam v. Olsen
SCDB identifiers: case 1976-107, docket 1976-107-01.
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Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Standard Oil Co. of California v. United StatesAltered precedent
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- Massachusetts v. Feeney
- Tully v. Griffin, Inc.
- Belcher v. Stengel
- Cook v. Hudson
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