Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Thurston
469 U.S. 111 · Decided January 8, 1985 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Thurston was decided on January 8, 1985 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part and reversed or vacated it in part. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. 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
- 469 U.S. 111 · 105 S. Ct. 613 · 83 L. Ed. 2d 523 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 30
- Docket number
- 83-997
- Decided
- January 8, 1985
- Argued
- October 9, 1984
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- 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)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Thurston et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-011, docket 1984-011-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Employment discrimination (race, age, religion, illegitimacy, national origin, working conditions)”
- Johnson v. Mayor and City Council of Baltimore
- Western Air Lines, Inc. v. Criswell
- Cooper v. Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Shell Oil Co.
- Consolidated Rail Corporation v. Darrone
- Bazemore v. Friday
Cases on the same legal provision: Age Discrimination in Employment Act
- Lehman v. Nakshian
- Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. v. Richard Sperling
- Robert D. Gilmer v. Interstate/johnson Lane Corporation
- Lorillard v. Pons
- Christine McKennon v. Nashville Banner Publishing Company
- J. Daniel Kimel, Jr. v. Florida Board of RegentsLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Alexander v. Choate
- Brandon v. Holt
- United States v. Dann
- Ake v. Oklahoma
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Hampton County Election Commission
- Heckler v. Turner
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