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Ambach v. Norwick

441 U.S. 68 · Decided April 17, 1979 · 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

Ambach v. Norwick was decided on April 17, 1979 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Employability of aliens” in the Civil Rights area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
441 U.S. 68 · 99 S. Ct. 1589 · 60 L. Ed. 2d 49 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 85
Docket number
76-808
Decided
April 17, 1979
Argued
January 10, 1979
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
5–4
Majority opinion
Lewis F. Powell Jr.
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Appeal
Issue area
Civil Rights
Legal provision
Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

Ambach, Commissioner of Education of the State of New York, et al. v. Norwick et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1978-072, docket 1978-072-01.

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Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)

Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)

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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