Weinberger v. Rossi
456 U.S. 25 · Decided March 31, 1982 · 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
Weinberger v. Rossi was decided on March 31, 1982 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 “Affirmative action” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 456 U.S. 25 · 102 S. Ct. 1510 · 71 L. Ed. 2d 715 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 54
- Docket number
- 80-1924
- Decided
- March 31, 1982
- Argued
- February 22, 1982
- 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)
- Affirmative action
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 5 U.S.C. § 7151
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated 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 | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Weinberger, Secretary of Defense, et al. v. Rossi et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-071, docket 1981-071-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Affirmative action”
- Minnick v. California Department of Corrections
- Fullilove v. Klutznick
- Firefighters Local Union No. 1784 v. Stotts
- United Steelworkers of America v. Weber
- Southeastern Community College v. Davis
- Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Chardon v. Fernandez
- Ralston v. Robinson
- Polk County v. Dodson
- Blanding v. Dubose
- Cabell v. Chavez-Salido
- Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe
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