Baldrige v. Shapiro
455 U.S. 345 · Decided February 24, 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
Baldrige v. Shapiro was decided on February 24, 1982 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Freedom of Information Act and related laws” in the Privacy area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 455 U.S. 345 · 102 S. Ct. 1103 · 71 L. Ed. 2d 199 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 28
- Docket number
- 80-1436
- Decided
- February 24, 1982
- Argued
- December 2, 1981
- 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
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Freedom of Information Act and related laws
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Legal provision
- Freedom of Information, Sunshine, or Privacy 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 | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| 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
Baldrige, Secretary of Commerce, et al. v. Shapiro, Essex County Executive
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-046, docket 1981-046-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Freedom of Information Act and related laws”
- United States Department of State v. Washington Post Co.
- Weinberger v. Catholic Action of Hawaii/peace Education Project
- Federal Bureau of Investigation v. Abramson
- Upjohn Co. v. United States
- Federal Trade Commission v. Grolier Inc.
- Consumer Product Safety Commission v. GTE Sylvania, Inc.
Cases on the same legal provision: Freedom of Information, Sunshine, or Privacy Act
Same Term, same area (Privacy)
- Weinberger v. Catholic Action of Hawaii/peace Education Project
- United States Department of State v. Washington Post Co.
- Federal Bureau of Investigation v. Abramson
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