Central States v. Central Transport, Inc.
472 U.S. 559 · Decided June 19, 1985 · 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
Central States v. Central Transport, Inc. was decided on June 19, 1985 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Employee Retirement Income Security Act” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 472 U.S. 559 · 105 S. Ct. 2833 · 86 L. Ed. 2d 447 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 114
- Docket number
- 82-2157
- Decided
- June 19, 1985
- Argued
- November 27, 1984
- 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
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Employee Retirement Income Security Act
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
- 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. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Central States, Southeast & Southwest Areas Pension Fund et al. v. Central Transport, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-134, docket 1984-134-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Employee Retirement Income Security Act”
- Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. v. Russell
- Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation v. R. A. Gray & Co.
- Laborers Health and Welfare Trust Fund for Northern California v. Advanced Lightweight Concrete Co., Inc.
- Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. v. Bruch
- Massachusetts v. Morash
- Mead Corp. v. Tilley
Cases on the same legal provision: Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
- Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. v. Massachusetts
- Connolly v. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
- Pilot Life Insurance Co. v. Dedeaux
- Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. v. Taylor
- Fort Halifax Packing Co., Inc. v. Coyne
- Shaw v. Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Mills Music, Inc. v. Snyder
- Park 'n Fly, Inc. v. Dollar Park and Fly, Inc.
- Ohio v. Kovacs
- Chemical Manufacturers Association v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
- Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. v. Byrd
- Air France v. Saks
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