Patterson v. McLean Credit Union
491 U.S. 164 · Decided June 15, 1989 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Patterson v. McLean Credit Union was decided on June 15, 1989 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy 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
- 491 U.S. 164 · 109 S. Ct. 2363 · 105 L. Ed. 2d 132 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 2976
- Docket number
- 87-107
- Decided
- June 15, 1989
- Argued
- February 29, 1988
- Reargued
- October 12, 1988
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Employment discrimination (race, age, religion, illegitimacy, national origin, working conditions)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 42 U.S.C. § 1981 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Patterson v. McLean Credit Union
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-115, docket 1988-115-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Employment discrimination (race, age, religion, illegitimacy, national origin, working conditions)”
- Lorance v. AT&T Technologies, Inc.
- Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio v. Betts
- Wards Cove Packing Co., Inc. v. Atonio
- Watson v. Fort Worth Bank & Trust
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Commercial Office Products Co.
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Arabian American Oil Co.
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1981 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Jett v. Dallas Independent School District
- Saint Francis College v. Al-Khazraji
- Burnett v. Grattan
- General Building Contractors Association, Inc. v. Pennsylvania
- Runyon et Ux. v. McCrary
- Domino's Pizza, Inc. v. John McDonald
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Town of Huntington v. Huntington Branch
- Penson v. Ohio
- Pittston Coal Group v. Sebben
- Owens v. Okure
- City of Richmond v. J. A. Croson CompanyLaw held unconstitutional
- In re McDonald
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