Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Federico Pena
515 U.S. 200 · Decided June 12, 1995 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Federico Pena was decided on June 12, 1995 by a vote of 5–4. The Court vacated 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 “Affirmative action” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 515 U.S. 200 · 115 S. Ct. 2097 · 132 L. Ed. 2d 158 · 1995 U.S. LEXIS 4037
- Docket number
- 93-1841
- Decided
- June 12, 1995
- Argued
- January 17, 1995
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Affirmative action
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent |
Full case caption
Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Federico Pena, Secretary of Transportation, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1994-069, docket 1994-069-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Affirmative action”
- Texas v. Francois Daniel Lesage and United States
- Metro Broadcasting, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission
- Martin v. Wilks
- City of Richmond v. J. A. Croson CompanyLaw held unconstitutional
- Jennifer Gratz and Patrick Hamacher v. Lee Bollinger
- Barbara Grutter v. Lee Bollinger
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (equal protection)
- Thaddeus Donald Edmonson v. Leesville Concrete Co., Inc.
- Tuan Anh Nguyen and Joseph Boulais v. Immigration and Naturalization Service
- Lyng v. Castillo
- Hobby v. United States
- Schweiker v. Hogan
- Schweiker v. Wilson
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- In re Fred Whitaker
- Anthony S. Austin v. United States
- Jesse Brown v. Fred P. Gardner
- Christine McKennon v. Nashville Banner Publishing Company
- Eloise Anderson v. Verna Edwards, Etc.
- Fred A. Whitaker v. Superior Court of California
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