Ellis v. Brotherhood of Railway
466 U.S. 435 · Decided April 25, 1984 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Ellis v. Brotherhood of Railway was decided on April 25, 1984 by a vote of 8–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Union or closed shop” in the Unions area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 466 U.S. 435 · 104 S. Ct. 1883 · 80 L. Ed. 2d 428 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 70
- Docket number
- 82-1150
- Decided
- April 25, 1984
- Argued
- January 9, 1984
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Union or closed shop
- Issue area
- Unions
- Legal provision
- Railway Labor 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 Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Ellis et al. v. Brotherhood of Railway, Airline & Steamship Clerks, Freight Handlers, Express & Station Employes et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-082, docket 1983-082-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Union or closed shop”
- Chicago Teachers Union v. Hudson
- Communications Workers of America v. Beck
- Abood v. Detroit Board of Education
- James P. Lehnert v. Ferris Faculty Association
- Naomi Marquez v. Screen Actors Guild, Inc.
- Retail Clerks International Association v. Schermerhorn
Cases on the same legal provision: Railway Labor Act
- Burlington Northern Railroad Co. v. Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes
- Landers v. National Railroad Passengers Corporation
- Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Independent Federation of Flight Attendants
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers v. Foust
- Consolidated Rail Corporation v. Railway Labor Executives' Association
- Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Co. v. Railway Labor Executives' Association
Same Term, same area (Unions)
- Bureau of Alcohol v. Federal Labor Relations Authority
- National Labor Relations Board v. Bildisco & Bildisco
- National Labor Relations Board v. City Disposal Systems, Inc.
- Schneider Moving & Storage Co. v. Robbins
- Local No. 82 v. Crowley
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