Bennett v. Kentucky Department of Education
470 U.S. 656 · Decided March 19, 1985 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Bennett v. Kentucky Department of Education was decided on March 19, 1985 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed 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 “Miscellaneous federalism” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 470 U.S. 656 · 105 S. Ct. 1544 · 84 L. Ed. 2d 590 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 73
- Docket number
- 83-1798
- Decided
- March 19, 1985
- Argued
- January 8, 1985
- 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
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Miscellaneous federalism
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Elementary and Secondary Education Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..
Full case caption
Bennett, Secretary of Education v. Kentucky Department of Education
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-054, docket 1984-054-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Miscellaneous federalism”
- Bennett v. New Jersey
- Bell v. New Jersey
- West Virginia v. United States
- Watt v. Alaska
- Rudy Perpich v. Department of Defense
- United States v. Texas
Cases on the same legal provision: Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Lawrence County v. Lead-Deadwood School District No. 40-1Law held unconstitutional
- United States v. Maine
- United States v. Louisiana
- Bennett v. New Jersey
- Allis-Chalmers Corp. v. Lueck
- United States v. Maine
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