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McDonald v. Santa Fe Trail Transportation Co.

427 U.S. 273 · Decided June 25, 1976 · 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

McDonald v. Santa Fe Trail Transportation Co. was decided on June 25, 1976 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Employment discrimination (race, age, religion, illegitimacy, national origin, working conditions)” in the Civil Rights area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
427 U.S. 273 · 96 S. Ct. 2574 · 49 L. Ed. 2d 493 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 8
Docket number
75-260
Decided
June 25, 1976
Argued
April 20, 1976
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
9–0 (unanimous)
Majority opinion
Thurgood Marshall
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue area
Civil Rights
Legal provision
Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII)
Type of law
Federal statute
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.Majority
Justice Potter StewartMajority
Justice Byron R. WhiteConcurrenceCo-authored an opinion
Justice Thurgood MarshallMajorityWrote an opinion
Chief Justice Warren E. BurgerMajority
Justice Harry A. BlackmunMajority
Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr.Majority
Justice William H. RehnquistConcurrenceCo-authored an opinion
Justice John Paul StevensMajority

Full case caption

McDonald et al. v. Santa Fe Trail Transportation Co. et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1975-154, docket 1975-154-01.

Other cases on “Employment discrimination (race, age, religion, illegitimacy, national origin, working conditions)”

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Cases on the same legal provision: Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII)

Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)

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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