North Haven Board of Education v. Bell
456 U.S. 512 · Decided May 17, 1982 · 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
North Haven Board of Education v. Bell was decided on May 17, 1982 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Sex discrimination in employment” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 456 U.S. 512 · 102 S. Ct. 1912 · 72 L. Ed. 2d 299 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 105
- Docket number
- 80-986
- Decided
- May 17, 1982
- Argued
- December 9, 1981
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Sex discrimination in employment
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Education Amendments of 1972
- 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 Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
North Haven Board of Education et al. v. Bell, Secretary of Education, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-091, docket 1981-091-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Sex discrimination in employment”
- Ford Motor Co. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Zipes v. Trans World Airlines, Inc.
- County of Washington v. Gunther
- Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Arizona Governing Committee for Tax Deferred Annuity and Deferred Compensation Plans v. Norris
- Hishon v. King & Spalding
Cases on the same legal provision: Education Amendments of 1972
- Grove City College v. Bell
- Cannon v. University of Chicago
- Bradley v. School Board of the City of Richmond
- Christine Franklin v. Gwinnett County Public Schools and William Prescott.
- Alida Star Gebser and Alida Jean McCullough v. Lago Vista Independent School District
- National Collegiate Athletic Association v. R. M. Smith
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Chardon v. Fernandez
- Ralston v. Robinson
- Polk County v. Dodson
- Blanding v. Dubose
- Cabell v. Chavez-Salido
- Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe
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