Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio v. Betts
492 U.S. 158 · Decided June 23, 1989 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio v. Betts was decided on June 23, 1989 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision 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
- 492 U.S. 158 · 109 S. Ct. 2854 · 106 L. Ed. 2d 134 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 3136
- Docket number
- 88-389
- Decided
- June 23, 1989
- Argued
- March 28, 1989
- Court era
- Rehnquist 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
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Employment discrimination (race, age, religion, illegitimacy, national origin, working conditions)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Age Discrimination in Employment Act
- 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 | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio v. Betts
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-141, docket 1988-141-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Employment discrimination (race, age, religion, illegitimacy, national origin, working conditions)”
- Patterson v. McLean Credit Union
- Lorance v. AT&T Technologies, Inc.
- 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: Age Discrimination in Employment Act
- Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. v. Richard Sperling
- Robert D. Gilmer v. Interstate/johnson Lane Corporation
- Christine McKennon v. Nashville Banner Publishing Company
- Lehman v. Nakshian
- J. Daniel Kimel, Jr. v. Florida Board of RegentsLaw held unconstitutional
- Lorillard v. Pons
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