Vorchheimer v. School District of Philadelphia
430 U.S. 703 · Decided April 19, 1977 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Vorchheimer v. School District of Philadelphia was decided on April 19, 1977 by a vote of 4–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The Justices were equally divided, which leaves the lower court's judgment in place without setting precedent. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Sex discrimination (excluding employment)” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 430 U.S. 703 · 97 S. Ct. 1671 · 51 L. Ed. 2d 750 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 1438
- Docket number
- 76-37
- Decided
- April 19, 1977
- Argued
- February 22, 1977
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Equally divided vote
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 4–4
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Sex discrimination (excluding employment)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Equally divided vote | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Equally divided vote |
Did not participate: William H. Rehnquist.
Full case caption
Vorchheimer v. School District of Philadelphia et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1976-086, docket 1976-086-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Sex discrimination (excluding employment)”
- Califano v. Webster
- Califano v. GoldfarbLaw held unconstitutional
- Stanton v. Stanton
- Craig v. BorenAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Mathews v. de Castro
- Quilloin v. Walcott et Vir
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Bagamasbad
- General Electric Co. v. Gilbert
- Mathews v. de Castro
- Craig v. BorenAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- International Union of Electrical v. Robbins & Myers, Inc.
- Village of Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development 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