Rose v. Rose
481 U.S. 619 · Decided May 18, 1987 · 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
Rose v. Rose was decided on May 18, 1987 by a vote of 8–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “National supremacy, marital and family relationships” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 481 U.S. 619 · 107 S. Ct. 2029 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 599 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 2060
- Docket number
- 85-1206
- Decided
- May 18, 1987
- Argued
- March 4, 1987
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Article VI, Section 2 (supremacy clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Rose v. Rose et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-095, docket 1986-095-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, marital and family relationships”
- McCarty v. McCarty
- Hisquierdo v. Hisquierdo
- Yiatchos v. Yiatchos
- Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy v. James W. Stewart III
- Daniel Coleman v. Court of Appeals of MarylandLaw held unconstitutional
- Free v. BlandLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Article VI, Section 2 (supremacy clause)
- Rose v. Arkansas State PoliceLaw held unconstitutional
- George S. Bennett v. ArkansasLaw held unconstitutional
- Bonito Boats, Inc. v. Thunder Craft Boats, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Northwest Central Pipeline Corp. v. State Corporation Commission of Kansas
- Lawrence County v. Lead-Deadwood School District No. 40-1Law held unconstitutional
- Mark Howlett v. Scott Rose
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Rose v. Arkansas State PoliceLaw held unconstitutional
- West Virginia v. United States
- International Paper Co. v. Ouellette
- Pilot Life Insurance Co. v. Dedeaux
- Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. v. Taylor
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers v. Hechler
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