Personnel Administrator of Massachusetts v. Feeney
442 U.S. 256 · Decided June 5, 1979 · 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
Personnel Administrator of Massachusetts v. Feeney was decided on June 5, 1979 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Sex discrimination (excluding employment)” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 442 U.S. 256 · 99 S. Ct. 2282 · 60 L. Ed. 2d 870 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 128
- Docket number
- 78-233
- Decided
- June 5, 1979
- Argued
- February 26, 1979
- 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
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Sex discrimination (excluding employment)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Concurrence | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Personnel Administrator of Massachusetts et al. v. Feeney
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-113, docket 1978-113-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Sex discrimination (excluding employment)”
- Parham v. Hughes
- Caban v. Mohammed et Ux.Law held unconstitutional
- Orr v. OrrLaw held unconstitutional
- Harlin v. Missouri
- Duren v. MissouriAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Wengler v. Druggists Mutual Insurance Co.Law held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Columbus Board of Education v. Penick
- Dayton Board of Education v. Brinkman
- Rose v. Mitchell
- Ambach v. Norwick
- Illinois State Board of Elections v. Socialist Workers PartyLaw held unconstitutional
- Lalli v. Lalli
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Board of Trustees of Keene State College v. Sweeney
- Dougherty County v. White
- Holt Civic Club v. City of Tuscaloosa
- Califano v. Aznavorian
- Lalli v. Lalli
- Duren v. MissouriAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
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