Abood v. Detroit Board of Education
431 U.S. 209 · 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
Abood v. Detroit Board of Education was decided on May 23, 1977 unanimously (9–0). The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Union or closed shop” in the Unions area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 431 U.S. 209 · 97 S. Ct. 1782 · 52 L. Ed. 2d 261 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 91
- Docket number
- 75-1153
- Decided
- May 23, 1977
- Argued
- November 9, 1976
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Union or closed shop
- Issue area
- Unions
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (association)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Abood et al. v. Detroit Board of Education et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1976-108, docket 1976-108-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Union or closed shop”
- Ellis v. Brotherhood of Railway
- Chicago Teachers Union v. Hudson
- Communications Workers of America v. Beck
- Retail Clerks International Association v. Schermerhorn
- James P. Lehnert v. Ferris Faculty Association
- Brotherhood of Railway and Steamship Clerks v. Allen
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (association)
- Jones v. North Carolina Prisoners' Labor Union, Inc.
- Elrod v. Burns
- In re Primus
- Marchioro v. Chaney
- Kusper v. PontikesLaw held unconstitutional
- Democratic Party of United States v. Wisconsin ex Rel. La FolletteLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Unions)
- Bayside Enterprises, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board
- Local 3489 v. Usery
- Walsh v. Schlecht
- National Labor Relations Board v. Enterprise Association of Steam
- Nolde Brothers, Inc. v. Local No. 358
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