Dirks v. Securities and Exchange Commission
463 U.S. 646 · Decided July 1, 1983 · 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
Dirks v. Securities and Exchange Commission was decided on July 1, 1983 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Securities regulation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 463 U.S. 646 · 103 S. Ct. 3255 · 77 L. Ed. 2d 911 · 1983 U.S. LEXIS 102
- Docket number
- 82-276
- Decided
- July 1, 1983
- Argued
- March 21, 1983
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Securities regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Securities Act of 1933, Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or Williams Act
- 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 | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Dirks v. Securities and Exchange Commission
SCDB identifiers: case 1982-152, docket 1982-152-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Securities regulation”
- Herman & Maclean v. Huddleston
- Daily Income Fund, Inc. v. Fox
- Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jerry T. O'Brien, Inc.
- Securities Industry Association v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
- Securities Industry Association v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
- Marine Bank v. Weaver et Ux.
Cases on the same legal provision: Securities Act of 1933, Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or Williams Act
- Schreiber v. Burlington Northern, Inc.
- Bateman Eichler v. Berner
- Rubin v. United States
- Chiarella v. United States
- Leroy v. Great Western United Corp.
- Carpenter v. United States
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- United States v. Security Industrial Bank
- Xerox Corp. v. County of Harris
- Director v. Perini North River Associates
- Herman & Maclean v. Huddleston
- Memphis Bank & Trust Co. v. Garner
- Energy Reserves Group, Inc. v. Kansas Power & Light Co.
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