United States Department of Justice v. Tax Analysts
492 U.S. 136 · Decided June 23, 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
United States Department of Justice v. Tax Analysts was decided on June 23, 1989 by a vote of 8–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall 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
- 492 U.S. 136 · 109 S. Ct. 2841 · 106 L. Ed. 2d 112 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 3137
- Docket number
- 88-782
- Decided
- June 23, 1989
- Argued
- April 24, 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
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Freedom of Information Act and related laws
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Legal provision
- Freedom of Information, Sunshine, or Privacy Act
- Type of law
- Federal 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 | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| 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
United States Department of Justice v. Tax Analysts
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-140, docket 1988-140-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Freedom of Information Act and related laws”
- Public Citizen v. United States Department of Justice
- 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
Cases on the same legal provision: Freedom of Information, Sunshine, or Privacy Act
Same Term, same area (Privacy)
- United States Department of Justice v. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
- Public Citizen v. United States Department of Justice
- 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