West v. Conrail
481 U.S. 35 · Decided April 6, 1987 · 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
West v. Conrail was decided on April 6, 1987 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Union-union member disputes” in the Unions area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 481 U.S. 35 · 107 S. Ct. 1538 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 32 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 1513
- Docket number
- 85-1804
- Decided
- April 6, 1987
- Argued
- February 25, 1987
- Court era
- Rehnquist 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
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Union-union member disputes
- Issue area
- Unions
- Legal provision
- Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- Type of law
- Court rules
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative 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 | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
West v. Conrail et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-066, docket 1986-066-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Union-union member disputes”
- National Labor Relations Board v. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
- Reed v. United Transportation Union
- Pattern Makers' League of North America v. National Labor Relations Board
- Sheet Metal Workers' International Assn. v. Lynn
- Lynn L. Breininger v. Sheet Metal Workers International Association Local Union No. 6
- Local No. 82 v. Crowley
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- Burlington Northern Railroad Co. v. Woods
- Hilton v. Braunskill
- Karcher v. May
- Omni Capital International, Ltd. v. Rudolf Wolff & Co., Ltd.
- Acosta v. Louisiana Department of Health and Human Resources
- Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Unions)
- Burlington Northern Railroad Co. v. Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes
- National Labor Relations Board v. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
- Fall River Dyeing & Finishing Corp. v. National Labor Relations Board
- Citicorp Industrial Credit, Inc. v. Brock
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