County of Washington v. Gunther
452 U.S. 161 · Decided June 8, 1981 · 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
County of Washington v. Gunther was decided on June 8, 1981 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Sex discrimination in employment” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 452 U.S. 161 · 101 S. Ct. 2242 · 68 L. Ed. 2d 751 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 4
- Docket number
- 80-429
- Decided
- June 8, 1981
- Argued
- March 23, 1981
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Sex discrimination in employment
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII)
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
County of Washington, Oregon, et al. v. Gunther et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-108, docket 1980-108-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Sex discrimination in employment”
- Zipes v. Trans World Airlines, Inc.
- North Haven Board of Education v. Bell
- Ford Motor Co. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Great American Federal Savings & Loan Association v. Novotny
- Davis v. Passman
- Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Cases on the same legal provision: Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII)
- Northwest Airlines, Inc. v. Transport Workers Union of America
- Texas Department of Community Affairs v. Burdine
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Associated Dry Goods Corp.
- Delaware State College v. Ricks
- American Tobacco Co. v. Patterson
- Pullman-Standard v. Swint
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Dennis v. Sparks
- Allen v. McCurry
- United States Railroad Retirement Board v. Fritz
- Delaware State College v. Ricks
- Fedorenko v. United States
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Associated Dry Goods Corp.
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