American Tobacco Co. v. Patterson
456 U.S. 63 · Decided April 5, 1982 · 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
American Tobacco Co. v. Patterson was decided on April 5, 1982 by a vote of 5–4. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Employment discrimination (race, age, religion, illegitimacy, national origin, working conditions)” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 456 U.S. 63 · 102 S. Ct. 1534 · 71 L. Ed. 2d 748 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 32
- Docket number
- 80-1199
- Decided
- April 5, 1982
- Argued
- January 19, 1982
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Employment discrimination (race, age, religion, illegitimacy, national origin, working conditions)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
American Tobacco Co. et al. v. Patterson et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-074, docket 1981-074-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Employment discrimination (race, age, religion, illegitimacy, national origin, working conditions)”
- Pullman-Standard v. Swint
- Kremer v. Chemical Construction Corp.
- Sumitomo Shoji America, Inc. v. Avagliano
- Connecticut v. Teal
- Chardon v. Fernandez
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Wyoming
Cases on the same legal provision: Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII)
- Zipes v. Trans World Airlines, Inc.
- Ford Motor Co. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- County of Washington v. Gunther
- Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Arizona Governing Committee for Tax Deferred Annuity and Deferred Compensation Plans v. Norris
- New York Gaslight Club, Inc. v. Carey
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Chardon v. Fernandez
- Ralston v. Robinson
- Polk County v. Dodson
- Blanding v. Dubose
- Cabell v. Chavez-Salido
- Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe
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