Rostker v. Goldberg
453 U.S. 57 · Decided June 25, 1981 · 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
Rostker v. Goldberg was decided on June 25, 1981 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist 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
- 453 U.S. 57 · 101 S. Ct. 2646 · 69 L. Ed. 2d 478 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 126
- Docket number
- 80-251
- Decided
- June 25, 1981
- Argued
- March 24, 1981
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Sex discrimination (excluding employment)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Selective Service statutes
- 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 Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Rostker, Director of Selective Service v. Goldberg et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-136, docket 1980-136-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Sex discrimination (excluding employment)”
- Kirchberg v. FeenstraLaw held unconstitutional
- Michael M. v. Superior Court of Sonoma County (California
- Mississippi University for Women v. HoganLaw held unconstitutional
- Wengler v. Druggists Mutual Insurance Co.Law held unconstitutional
- Lehr v. Robertson
- Personnel Administrator of Massachusetts v. Feeney
Cases on the same legal provision: Selective Service statutes
- Alabama Power Co. v. Davis
- Foster v. Dravo Corp.
- Fein v. Selective Service System Local Board No. 7 of Yonkers
- Clay v. United States
- Astrup v. Immigration and Naturalization Service
- Ehlert v. United States
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Dennis v. Sparks
- Allen v. McCurry
- United States Railroad Retirement Board v. Fritz
- Delaware State College v. Ricks
- Fedorenko v. United States
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Associated Dry Goods Corp.
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