Central Intelligence Agency et al. v. Sims et al.
Decided April 16, 1985. Warren Earl Burger delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 83-1075 · 471 U.S. 159 (1985) · Cited 503 times
We don’t yet publish a summary of this opinion — read the official text below for the Court’s holding and reasoning.
How the Justices voted
Decided 9–0.
Majority · 7
- Warren Earl Burger · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Byron Raymond White
- Harry Andrew Blackmun
- John Paul Stevens
- Lewis Franklin Powell Jr.
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
Concurring · 2
- Thurgood Marshall · filed a concurring opinion
- William Joseph Brennan Jr.
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- Environmental Protection Agency v. Mink · 410 U.S. 73 (1973)
- United States v. Weber Aircraft Corp. · 465 U.S. 792 (1984)
- Baldrige v. Shapiro · 455 U.S. 345 (1982)
- Federal Power Commission v. Tuscarora Indian Nation · 362 U.S. 99 (1960)
- Florida Power & Light Co. v. Lorion · 470 U.S. 729 (1985)
- National Labor Relations Board v. Robbins Tire & Rubber Co. · 437 U.S. 214 (1978)
- Garcia v. United States · 469 U.S. 70 (1984)
- Haig v. Agee · 453 U.S. 280 (1981)
- Steadman v. Securities & Exchange Commission · 450 U.S. 91 (1981)
- Snepp v. United States · 444 U.S. 507 (1980)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Webster v. Doe · 486 U.S. 592 (1988)
- Food Marketing Institute v. Argus Leader Media · 588 U.S. 427 (2019)
- United States Department of Justice v. Julian · 486 U.S. 1 (1988)
- United States v. Zubaydah · 595 U.S. 195 (2022)
- United States Department of Justice v. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press · 489 U.S. 749 (1989)
- Franklin v. Massachusetts · 505 U.S. 788 (1992)
- Department of the Navy v. Egan · 484 U.S. 518 (1988)
- Tenet v. Doe · 544 U.S. 1 (2005)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Warren Earl Burger’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: the U.S. Reports via govinfo.gov; authoring Justice and vote lineup from the Supreme Court Database (Washington University). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).