Thompson v. Thompson
484 U.S. 174 · Decided January 12, 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
Thompson v. Thompson was decided on January 12, 1988 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Standing, private or implied cause of action” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 484 U.S. 174 · 108 S. Ct. 513 · 98 L. Ed. 2d 512 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 307
- Docket number
- 86-964
- Decided
- January 12, 1988
- Argued
- October 6, 1987
- 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
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Standing, private or implied cause of action
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 1738
- 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 | |
| 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 | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Thompson v. Thompson, aka Clay
SCDB identifiers: case 1987-014, docket 1987-014-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Standing, private or implied cause of action”
- Wright v. City of Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority
- Karahalios v. National Federation of Federal Employees
- Sue Suter v. Artist M.
- United States v. California and California State Board of Equalization
- Merrill Lynch v. Curran
- California v. Sierra Club
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 1738
- Parsons Steel, Inc. v. First Alabama Bank
- Marrese v. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. v. Lawrence Epstein
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. McCoy
- Karcher v. May
- National Labor Relations Board v. United Food & Commercial Workers Union
- Vermont v. Cox
- Deakins v. Monaghan
- Marino v. Ortiz
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