Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., LTD v. Zenith Radio Corp.
475 U.S. 574 · Decided March 25, 1986 · 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
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., LTD v. Zenith Radio Corp. was decided on March 25, 1986 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Antitrust” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 475 U.S. 574 · 106 S. Ct. 1348 · 89 L. Ed. 2d 538 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 38
- Docket number
- 83-2004
- Decided
- March 25, 1986
- Argued
- November 12, 1985
- Court era
- Burger 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
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Antitrust
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- Type of law
- Court rules
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., LTD, et al. v. Zenith Radio Corp. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-057, docket 1985-057-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- Icicle Seafoods, Inc. v. Worthington
- Dennison Manufacturing Co. v. Panduit Corp.
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- Celotex Corp. v. Catrett
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Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- United States v. Riverside Bayview Homes, Inc.
- Cleavinger v. Saxner
- Midlantic National Bank v. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
- Fisher v. City of Berkeley
- Dennison Manufacturing Co. v. Panduit Corp.
- Square D Co. v. Niagara Frontier Tariff Bureau, 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