Ferri v. Ackerman
444 U.S. 193 · Decided December 4, 1979 · 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
Ferri v. Ackerman was decided on December 4, 1979 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability, miscellaneous” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 444 U.S. 193 · 100 S. Ct. 402 · 62 L. Ed. 2d 355 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 153
- Docket number
- 78-5981
- Decided
- December 4, 1979
- Argued
- October 2, 1979
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | 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 | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Ferri v. Ackerman
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-011, docket 1979-011-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability, miscellaneous”
- P. C. Pfeiffer Co., Inc. v. Ford
- Edmonds v. Compagnie Generale Transatlantique
- Director v. Rasmussen
- Scindia Steam Navigation Co., Ltd. v. de Los Santos
- J. W. Bateson Co., Inc. v. United States ex Rel. Board of Trustees of the National Automatic Sprinkler Industry Pension Fund
- Griffin v. Oceanic Contractors, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Transamerica Mortgage Advisors, Inc. v. Lewis
- P. C. Pfeiffer Co., Inc. v. Ford
- United States v. Kubrick
- McLain v. Real Estate Board of New Orleans, Inc.
- Hatzlachh Supply Co., Inc. v. United States
- Norfolk & Western Railway Co. v. Liepelt
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