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William Lewis Smith v. Wayne S. Barry

502 U.S. 244 · Decided January 14, 1992 · 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

William Lewis Smith v. Wayne S. Barry was decided on January 14, 1992 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal rules of civil procedure” in the Judicial Power area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
502 U.S. 244 · 112 S. Ct. 678 · 116 L. Ed. 2d 678 · 1992 U.S. LEXIS 372
Docket number
90-7477
Decided
January 14, 1992
Argued
December 2, 1991
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed and remanded
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
9–0 (unanimous)
Majority opinion
Sandra Day O'Connor
Opinion assigned by
William H. Rehnquist
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue area
Judicial Power
Legal provision
Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
Type of law
Court rules
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

William Lewis Smith v. Wayne S. Barry, et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1991-020, docket 1991-020-01.

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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