Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. v. Bruch
489 U.S. 101 · Decided February 21, 1989 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. v. Bruch was decided on February 21, 1989 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Employee Retirement Income Security Act” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 489 U.S. 101 · 109 S. Ct. 948 · 103 L. Ed. 2d 80 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 599
- Docket number
- 87-1054
- Decided
- February 21, 1989
- Argued
- November 30, 1988
- Court era
- Rehnquist 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 did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Employee Retirement Income Security Act
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
- 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 | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. et al. v. Bruch et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-032, docket 1988-032-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Employee Retirement Income Security Act”
- Massachusetts v. Morash
- Mead Corp. v. Tilley
- Laborers Health and Welfare Trust Fund for Northern California v. Advanced Lightweight Concrete Co., Inc.
- Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation v. LTV Corporation
- Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company v. Robert T. Darden
- Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. v. Russell
Cases on the same legal provision: Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
- Mackey v. Lanier Collection Agency & Service, Inc.
- Guidry v. Sheet Metal Workers National Pension Fund
- Fort Halifax Packing Co., Inc. v. Coyne
- FMC Corporation v. Cynthia Ann Holliday
- Ingersoll-Rand Company v. Perry McClendon
- Pilot Life Insurance Co. v. Dedeaux
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Goldberg v. Sweet
- Allegheny Pittsburgh Coal Co. v. County Commission of Webster CountyLaw held unconstitutional
- Northwest Central Pipeline Corp. v. State Corporation Commission of Kansas
- Amerada Hess Corp. v. Director
- Massachusetts v. Morash
- Chan v. Korean Air Lines, Ltd.
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