Janus v. American Federation of State
138 S. Ct. 2448 · Decided June 27, 2018 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Janus v. American Federation of State was decided on June 27, 2018 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Union or closed shop” in the Unions area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
- CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
- Supreme Court of the United States — slip opinions, October Term 2017
Case details
- Citations
- 138 S. Ct. 2448 · 201 L. Ed. 2d 924 · 2018 U.S. LEXIS 4028
- Docket number
- 16-1466
- Decided
- June 27, 2018
- Argued
- February 26, 2018
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Samuel A. Alito Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Union or closed shop
- Issue area
- Unions
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Neil M. Gorsuch | Majority |
Full case caption
Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31
SCDB identifiers: case 2017-045, docket 2017-045-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Union or closed shop”
- Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association
- Daniel B. Locke v. Edward A. Karass
- Gary Davenport v. Washington Education Association
- Naomi Marquez v. Screen Actors Guild, Inc.
- James P. Lehnert v. Ferris Faculty Association
- Communications Workers of America v. Beck
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. BecerraLaw held unconstitutional
- Lozman v. City of Riviera Beach
- Minnesota Voters Alliance v. ManskyLaw held unconstitutional
- Nieves v. Bartlett
- Manhattan Community Access Corp. v. Halleck
- Iancu v. BrunettiLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Unions)
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