Upjohn Co. v. United States
449 U.S. 383 · Decided January 13, 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
Upjohn Co. v. United States was decided on January 13, 1981 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Freedom of Information Act and related laws” in the Privacy area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 449 U.S. 383 · 101 S. Ct. 677 · 66 L. Ed. 2d 584 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 56
- Docket number
- 79-886
- Decided
- January 13, 1981
- Argued
- November 5, 1980
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Freedom of Information Act and related laws
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| 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
Upjohn Co. et al. v. United States et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-024, docket 1980-024-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Freedom of Information Act and related laws”
- Consumer Product Safety Commission v. GTE Sylvania, Inc.
- GTE Sylvania, Inc. v. Consumers Union of the United States, Inc.
- Kissinger v. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
- Forsham v. Harris
- Weinberger v. Catholic Action of Hawaii/peace Education Project
- Baldrige v. Shapiro
Same Term, same area (Privacy)
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