Varity Corporation v. Charles Howe
516 U.S. 489 · Decided March 19, 1996 · 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
Varity Corporation v. Charles Howe was decided on March 19, 1996 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Employee Retirement Income Security Act” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 516 U.S. 489 · 116 S. Ct. 1065 · 134 L. Ed. 2d 130 · 1996 U.S. LEXIS 1954
- Docket number
- 94-1471
- Decided
- March 19, 1996
- Argued
- November 1, 1995
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Stephen G. Breyer
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Employee Retirement Income Security Act
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Varity Corporation v. Charles Howe et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1995-034, docket 1995-034-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Employee Retirement Income Security Act”
- D. Grant Peacock v. Jack L. Thomas
- Lockheed Corporation v. Paul L. Spink
- Curtiss-Wright Corporation v. Frank C. Schoonejongen
- Milwaukee Brewery Workers' Pension Plan v. Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company and Stroh Brewery Company
- Inter-Modal Rail Employees Association v. Atchison
- Bay Area Laundry and Dry Cleaning Pension Trust Fund v. Ferbar Corporation of California, Inc.
Cases on the same legal provision: Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
- New York State Conference of Blue Cross & Blue Shield Plans v. Travelers Insurance Company
- California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement v. Dillingham Construction, N. A., Inc.
- Barbara A. de Buono v. Nysa-Ila Medical and Clinical Services Fund, Etc.
- Sandra Jean Dale Boggs v. Thomas F. Boggs
- The District of Columbia and Sharon Pratt Kelly v. the Greater Washington Board of Trade
- Donna Rae Egelhoff v. Samantha Egelhoff
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Citizens Bank of Maryland v. David Strumpf
- William Field and Norinne Field v. Philip W. Mans
- Yamaha Motor Corporation, U. S. A. v. Lucien B. Calhoun
- Marjorie Zicherman, Etc. v. Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd.
- Lotus Development Corporation v. Borland International, Inc.
- Bank One Chicago, N. A. v. Midwest Bank & Trust Company
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