Alexander v. Choate
469 U.S. 287 · Decided January 9, 1985 · 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
Alexander v. Choate was decided on January 9, 1985 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Rights of handicapped persons” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 469 U.S. 287 · 105 S. Ct. 712 · 83 L. Ed. 2d 661 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 39
- Docket number
- 83-727
- Decided
- January 9, 1985
- Argued
- October 1, 1984
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Rights of handicapped persons
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Rehabilitation Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Alexander, Governor of Tennessee, et al. v. Choate et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-020, docket 1984-020-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Rights of handicapped persons”
- School Committee of the Town of Burlington v. Department of Education of Massachusetts
- Irving Independent School District v. Tatro et Ux.
- Bowen v. City of New York
- Bowen v. American Hospital Association
- United States Department of Transportation v. Paralyzed Veterans of America
- School Board of Nassau County v. Arline
Cases on the same legal provision: Rehabilitation Act
- Smith v. Robinson
- Consolidated Rail Corporation v. Darrone
- Community Television of Southern California v. Gottfried
- Southeastern Community College v. Davis
- James Griffin Lane v. Federico F. Pena
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Thurston
- Brandon v. Holt
- United States v. Dann
- Ake v. Oklahoma
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Hampton County Election Commission
- Heckler v. Turner
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