International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers v. Foust
442 U.S. 42 · Decided May 29, 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
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers v. Foust was decided on May 29, 1979 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Union-union member disputes” in the Unions area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 442 U.S. 42 · 99 S. Ct. 2121 · 60 L. Ed. 2d 698 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 117
- Docket number
- 78-38
- Decided
- May 29, 1979
- Argued
- February 26, 1979
- 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
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Union-union member disputes
- 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 Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers et al. v. Foust
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-101, docket 1978-101-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Union-union member disputes”
- American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. v. Writers Guild of America
- Local 3489 v. Usery
- Finnegan v. Leu
- Bowen v. United States Postal Service
- Delcostello v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters
- Emporium Capwell Co. v. Western Addition Community Organization
Cases on the same legal provision: Railway Labor Act
- Union Pacific Railroad Co. v. Sheehan
- Ellis v. Brotherhood of Railway
- Andrews v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co.Altered precedent
- Burlington Northern Railroad Co. v. Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes
- Chicago & North Western Railway Co. v. United Transportation Union
- Landers v. National Railroad Passengers Corporation
Same Term, same area (Unions)
- National Labor Relations Board v. Baylor University Medical Center
- Detroit Edison Co. v. National Labor Relations Board
- National Labor Relations Board v. Catholic Bishop of Chicago
- Ford Motor Co. v. National Labor Relations Board
- National Labor Relations Board v. Baptist Hospital, Inc.
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