Patsy v. Board of Regents of the State of Florida
457 U.S. 496 · Decided June 21, 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
Patsy v. Board of Regents of the State of Florida was decided on June 21, 1982 by a vote of 7–2. 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 “Comity, civil rights” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 457 U.S. 496 · 102 S. Ct. 2557 · 73 L. Ed. 2d 172 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 133
- Docket number
- 80-1874
- Decided
- June 21, 1982
- Argued
- March 2, 1982
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Comity, civil rights
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- 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 | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Concurrence | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Patsy v. Board of Regents of the State of Florida
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-131, docket 1981-131-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Comity, civil rights”
- Juidice v. Vail
- Rizzo v. Goode
- Johnson v. Mississippi
- Harris County Commissioners Court v. Moore
- James A. Ford v. Georgia
- Joan Growe v. James Emison
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Rendell-Baker v. Kohn
- Lugar v. Edmondson Oil Co., Inc.
- Polk County v. Dodson
- Fair Assessment in Real Estate Association, Inc. v. McNary
- Chardon v. Fernandez
- Briscoe v. Lahue
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Leeke v. Timmerman
- Fair Assessment in Real Estate Association, Inc. v. McNary
- Piper Aircraft Co. v. Reyno
- Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Inc.
- Princeton University v. Schmid
- Tully v. Mobil Oil Corp.
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