Chardon v. Fernandez
454 U.S. 6 · Decided November 2, 1981 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Chardon v. Fernandez was decided on November 2, 1981 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed 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 “Employment discrimination (race, age, religion, illegitimacy, national origin, working conditions)” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 454 U.S. 6 · 102 S. Ct. 28 · 70 L. Ed. 2d 6 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 140
- Docket number
- 81-249
- Decided
- November 2, 1981
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Employment discrimination (race, age, religion, illegitimacy, national origin, working conditions)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| 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 | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Chardon, Secretary of Public Education of Puerto Rico, et al. v. Fernandez et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-002, docket 1981-002-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Employment discrimination (race, age, religion, illegitimacy, national origin, working conditions)”
- American Tobacco Co. v. Patterson
- Pullman-Standard v. Swint
- Northwest Airlines, Inc. v. Transport Workers Union of America
- Kremer v. Chemical Construction Corp.
- Sumitomo Shoji America, Inc. v. Avagliano
- Connecticut v. Teal
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Fair Assessment in Real Estate Association, Inc. v. McNary
- Polk County v. Dodson
- City of Newport v. Fact Concerts, Inc.
- Parratt v. Taylor
- Patsy v. Board of Regents of the State of Florida
- Rendell-Baker v. Kohn
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Ralston v. Robinson
- Polk County v. Dodson
- Blanding v. Dubose
- Cabell v. Chavez-Salido
- Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe
- Herweg et Vir v. Ray
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