Brown v. Felsen
442 U.S. 127 · Decided June 4, 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
Brown v. Felsen was decided on June 4, 1979 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Bankruptcy” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 442 U.S. 127 · 99 S. Ct. 2205 · 60 L. Ed. 2d 767 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 123
- Docket number
- 78-58
- Decided
- June 4, 1979
- Argued
- February 21, 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Bankruptcy
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Res judicata
- Type of law
- Other
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Brown v. Felsen
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-107, docket 1978-107-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: Res judicata
- Federated Department Stores, Inc. v. Moitie
- Nevada v. United States
- University of Tennessee v. Elliott
- United States v. Southern Ute Tribe or Band of Indians
- Durfee et Ux. v. Duke
- State of Arizona v. State of California
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System v. First Lincolnwood Corp.
- Marquette National Bank of Minneapolis v. First of Omaha Service Corp.
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission v. Pennzoil Producing Co.
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters v. Daniel
- Director v. Rasmussen
- Butner v. United States
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