Boston Firefighters Union v. Boston Chapter
461 U.S. 477 · Decided May 16, 1983 · 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
Boston Firefighters Union v. Boston Chapter was decided on May 16, 1983 unanimously (8–0). The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Mootness” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 461 U.S. 477 · 103 S. Ct. 2076 · 76 L. Ed. 2d 330 · 1983 U.S. LEXIS 162
- Docket number
- 82-185
- Decided
- May 16, 1983
- Argued
- April 18, 1983
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Mootness
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| 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 | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall.
Full case caption
Boston Firefighters Union, Local 718 v. Boston Chapter, NAACP, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1982-092, docket 1982-092-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Mootness”
- Iron Arrow Honor Society v. Heckler
- Johnson v. Board of Education of the City of Chicago
- Lane v. Williams
- Murphy v. Hunt
- Tully v. Mobil Oil Corp.
- United States Department of Justice v. Provenzano
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Griggs v. Provident Consumer Discount Co.
- Gillette Co. v. Miner
- Burlington Northern Inc. v. United States
- Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital v. Mercury Construction Corp.
- District of Columbia Court of Appeals v. Feldman
- Thurston Motor Lines, Inc. v. Jordan K. Rand, Ltd.
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