Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins
490 U.S. 228 · Decided May 1, 1989 · 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
Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins was decided on May 1, 1989 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Sex discrimination in employment” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 490 U.S. 228 · 109 S. Ct. 1775 · 104 L. Ed. 2d 268 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 2230
- Docket number
- 87-1167
- Decided
- May 1, 1989
- Argued
- October 31, 1988
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Sex discrimination in employment
- 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
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-079, docket 1988-079-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Sex discrimination in employment”
- Florida v. Long
- International Union v. Johnson Controls, Inc.
- Wimberly v. Labor and Industrial Relations Commission of Missouri
- California Federal Savings & Loan Assn. v. Guerra
- Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson
- Anderson v. City of Bessemer City
Cases on the same legal provision: Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII)
- Wards Cove Packing Co., Inc. v. Atonio
- Lorance v. AT&T Technologies, Inc.
- Independent Federation of Flight Attendants v. Zipes
- Watson v. Fort Worth Bank & Trust
- Loeffler v. Frank
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Commercial Office Products Co.
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