White v. New Hampshire Department of Employment Security
455 U.S. 445 · Decided March 2, 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
White v. New Hampshire Department of Employment Security was decided on March 2, 1982 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Attorneys' and officials' fees, compensation, or licenses” in the Attorneys area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 455 U.S. 445 · 102 S. Ct. 1162 · 71 L. Ed. 2d 325 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 76
- Docket number
- 80-5887
- Decided
- March 2, 1982
- Argued
- November 30, 1981
- 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
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Attorneys
- Legal provision
- Civil Rights Attorney's Fees Awards Act
- Type of law
- Federal 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 | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
White v. New Hampshire Department of Employment Security et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-051, docket 1981-051-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Attorneys' and officials' fees, compensation, or licenses”
- Summit Valley Industries, Inc. v. Local 112
- Hensley v. Eckerhart
- Hughes v. Rowe
- Ruckelshaus v. Sierra Club
- Maher v. Gagne
- Roadway Express, Inc. v. Piper
Same Term, same area (Attorneys)
- In re R. M. J.Law held unconstitutional
- Summit Valley Industries, Inc. v. Local 112
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