CaseTrail

Kirchberg v. Feenstra

450 U.S. 455 · Decided March 23, 1981 · 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

Kirchberg v. Feenstra was decided on March 23, 1981 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Sex discrimination (excluding employment)” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
450 U.S. 455 · 101 S. Ct. 1195 · 67 L. Ed. 2d 428 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 82
Docket number
79-1388
Decided
March 23, 1981
Argued
December 10, 1980
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Affirmed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
Vote
9–0 (unanimous)
Majority opinion
Thurgood Marshall
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Appeal
Issue area
Civil Rights
Legal provision
Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Held unconstitutional
A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

Kirchberg v. Feenstra et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1980-058, docket 1980-058-01.

Other cases on “Sex discrimination (excluding employment)”

See all

Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)

Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)

See all

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