Burnett v. Grattan
468 U.S. 42 · Decided June 27, 1984 · 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
Burnett v. Grattan was decided on June 27, 1984 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability under civil rights acts” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 468 U.S. 42 · 104 S. Ct. 2924 · 82 L. Ed. 2d 36 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 128
- Docket number
- 83-264
- Decided
- June 27, 1984
- Argued
- March 26, 1984
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability under civil rights acts
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 42 U.S.C. § 1981 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
Burnett et al. v. Grattan et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-144, docket 1983-144-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- Davis v. Scherer
- Tower v. Glover
- Pulliam v. Allen
- McDonald v. City of West Branch
- Migra v. Warren City School District Board of Education
- Brandon v. Holt
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1981 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Cooper v. Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
- Patterson v. McLean Credit Union
- Runyon et Ux. v. McCrary
- Gary M. McKnight v. General Motors Corporation
- CBOCS West, Inc. v. Hedrick G. Humphries
- Comcast Corp. v. National Association of African American-Owned Media
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Phinpathya
- Migra v. Warren City School District Board of Education
- United Building & Construction Trades Council of Camden County and Vicinity v. Mayor and Council of the City of Camden
- McCain v. Lybrand
- Solem v. Bartlett
- Consolidated Rail Corporation v. Darrone
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