Federal Election Commission v. National Right to Work Committee
459 U.S. 197 · Decided December 13, 1982 · 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
Federal Election Commission v. National Right to Work Committee was decided on December 13, 1982 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist 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
- 459 U.S. 197 · 103 S. Ct. 552 · 74 L. Ed. 2d 364 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 172
- Docket number
- 81-1506
- Decided
- December 13, 1982
- Argued
- November 1, 1982
- 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
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- 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 Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Federal Election Commission et al. v. National Right to Work Committee et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1982-015, docket 1982-015-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Campaign spending”
- Brown v. Socialist Workers '74 Campaign CommitteeLaw held unconstitutional
- Bread Political Action Committee v. Federal Election Commission
- Citizens Against Rent Control/coalition for Fair Housing v. City of BerkeleyLaw held unconstitutional
- Federal Election Commission v. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
- California Medical Association v. Federal Election Commission
- Federal Election Commission v. National Conservative Political Action CommitteeLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Election Campaign Act
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Brown v. Socialist Workers '74 Campaign CommitteeLaw held unconstitutional
- Larkin v. Grendel's Den, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Perry Education Association v. Perry Local Educators' Association
- Minneapolis Star & Tribune Co. v. Minnesota Commissioner of RevenueLaw held unconstitutional
- Connick v. Myers
- United States v. GraceLaw held unconstitutional
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