World-Wide Volkswagen Corp. v. Woodson
444 U.S. 286 · Decided January 21, 1980 · 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
World-Wide Volkswagen Corp. v. Woodson was decided on January 21, 1980 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, jurisdiction over nonresidents” in the Due Process area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 444 U.S. 286 · 100 S. Ct. 559 · 62 L. Ed. 2d 490 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 65
- Docket number
- 78-1078
- Decided
- January 21, 1980
- Argued
- October 3, 1979
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, jurisdiction over nonresidents
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
World-Wide Volkswagen Corp. et al. v. Woodson, District Judge of Creek County, Oklahoma, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-019, docket 1979-019-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, jurisdiction over nonresidents”
- Rush v. Savchuk
- Allstate Insurance Co. v. Hague
- Kulko v. Superior Court of California in and for the City and County of San Francisco (Horn
- Insurance Corporation of Ireland, Ltd. v. Compagnie Des Bauxites de Guinee
- Shaffer v. HeitnerAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Keeton v. Hustler Magazine, Inc.
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Martinez v. California
- Mobil Oil Corp. v. Commissioner of Taxes of Vermont
- Vitek v. JonesLaw held unconstitutional
- Pilon v. Bordenkircher
- Exxon Corp. v. Department of Revenue of Wisconsin
- Hicks v. Oklahoma
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
- Andrus v. Allard
- Kaiser Aetna v. United States
- Vaughn v. Vermilion Corp.
- Rush v. Savchuk
- Vitek v. JonesLaw held unconstitutional
- Marshall v. Jerrico, Inc.
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