Babbitt v. United Farm Workers National Union
442 U.S. 289 · Decided June 5, 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
Babbitt v. United Farm Workers National Union was decided on June 5, 1979 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed 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 “Comity, First Amendment” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 442 U.S. 289 · 99 S. Ct. 2301 · 60 L. Ed. 2d 895 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 129
- Docket number
- 78-225
- Decided
- June 5, 1979
- Argued
- February 21, 1979
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Comity, First Amendment
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Article III, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (case or controversy requirement)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- 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 Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Babbitt, Governor of Arizona, et al. v. United Farm Workers National Union et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-114, docket 1978-114-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Comity, First Amendment”
- Middlesex County Ethics Committee v. Garden State Bar Association
- Allee v. Medrano
- Ohio Civil Rights Commission v. Dayton Christian Schools, Inc.
- Younger v. Harris
- Samuels v. Mackell
- Boyle v. Landry
Cases on the same legal provision: Article III, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (case or controversy requirement)
- County of Los Angeles v. Davis
- Deposit Guaranty National Bank of Jackson v. Roper
- GTE Sylvania, Inc. v. Consumers Union of the United States, Inc.
- United States Parole Commission v. Geraghty
- Andrus v. Idaho
- Hicklin v. OrbeckLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Long Island Rail Road Co. v. Aberdeen & Rockfish Railroad Co.
- Carey v. Wynn
- Union Pacific Railroad Co. v. Sheehan
- Hunter v. Dean
- Mobay Chemical Corp. v. Costle
- Parklane Hosiery Co., Inc. v. Shore
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