California Medical Association v. Federal Election Commission
453 U.S. 182 · Decided June 26, 1981 · 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
California Medical Association v. Federal Election Commission was decided on June 26, 1981 unanimously (5–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Campaign spending” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 453 U.S. 182 · 101 S. Ct. 2712 · 69 L. Ed. 2d 567 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 38
- Docket number
- 79-1952
- Decided
- June 26, 1981
- Argued
- January 19, 1981
- 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
- 5–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Campaign spending
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Federal Election Campaign 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 Potter Stewart | Dissent from denial or dismissal | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent from denial or dismissal | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent from denial or dismissal | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent from denial or dismissal | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
California Medical Association et al. v. Federal Election Commission et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-139, docket 1980-139-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Campaign spending”
- Federal Election Commission v. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
- Citizens Against Rent Control/coalition for Fair Housing v. City of BerkeleyLaw held unconstitutional
- Bread Political Action Committee v. Federal Election Commission
- Brown v. Socialist Workers '74 Campaign CommitteeLaw held unconstitutional
- Federal Election Commission v. National Right to Work Committee
- First National Bank of Boston v. BellottiLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Election Campaign Act
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Stone v. GrahamLaw held unconstitutional
- Democratic Party of United States v. Wisconsin ex Rel. La FolletteLaw held unconstitutional
- Thomas v. Review Board of the Indiana Employment Security DivisionLaw held unconstitutional
- Flynt v. Ohio
- Schad v. Borough of Mount EphraimLaw held unconstitutional
- Heffron v. International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc.
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