Fullilove v. Klutznick
448 U.S. 448 · Decided July 2, 1980 · 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
Fullilove v. Klutznick was decided on July 2, 1980 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Affirmative action” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 448 U.S. 448 · 100 S. Ct. 2758 · 65 L. Ed. 2d 902 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 8
- Docket number
- 78-1007
- Decided
- July 2, 1980
- Argued
- November 27, 1979
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Affirmative action
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 91 Stat. 116
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Fullilove et al. v. Klutznick, Secretary of Commerce, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-153, docket 1979-153-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Affirmative action”
- Minnick v. California Department of Corrections
- United Steelworkers of America v. Weber
- Southeastern Community College v. Davis
- Weinberger v. Rossi
- Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
- Firefighters Local Union No. 1784 v. Stotts
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Board of Education of the City School District of New York v. Harris
- Vance v. Terrazas
- Martinez v. California
- California Brewers Assn. v. Bryant
- United States v. Clark
- United States v. Clarke
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