Diamond v. Bradley
450 U.S. 381 · Decided March 9, 1981 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Diamond v. Bradley was decided on March 9, 1981 by a vote of 4–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The Justices were equally divided, which leaves the lower court's judgment in place without setting precedent. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Patentability of computer processes” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 450 U.S. 381 · 101 S. Ct. 1495 · 67 L. Ed. 2d 311 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 80
- Docket number
- 79-855
- Decided
- March 9, 1981
- Argued
- October 14, 1980
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Equally divided vote
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 4–4
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Patentability of computer processes
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Equally divided vote | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Equally divided vote |
Did not participate: William H. Rehnquist.
Full case caption
Diamond, Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks v. Bradley et Al
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-055, docket 1980-055-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Patentability of computer processes”
- Diamond v. Diehr
- Parker v. Flook
- Dann v. Johnston
- Gottschalk v. Benson
- Ebay Inc. v. Mercexchange, L. L. C.
- Microsoft Corporation v. AT&T Corp.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Environmental Protection Agency v. National Crushed Stone Association
- Potomac Electric Power Co. v. Director
- Minnesota v. Clover Leaf Creamery Co.
- Board of Governors of Federal Reserve System v. Investment Company Institute
- Steadman v. Securities and Exchange Commission
- Diamond v. Diehr
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