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Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Associated Dry Goods Corp.

449 U.S. 590 · Decided January 26, 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

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Associated Dry Goods Corp. was decided on January 26, 1981 by a vote of 6–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Employment discrimination (race, age, religion, illegitimacy, national origin, working conditions)” in the Civil Rights area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
449 U.S. 590 · 101 S. Ct. 817 · 66 L. Ed. 2d 762 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 64
Docket number
79-1068
Decided
January 26, 1981
Argued
November 3, 1980
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed and remanded
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
6–1
Majority opinion
Potter Stewart
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Certiorari
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

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.Majority
Justice Potter StewartMajorityWrote an opinion
Justice Byron R. WhiteMajority
Justice Thurgood MarshallMajority
Chief Justice Warren E. BurgerMajority
Justice Harry A. BlackmunSpecial concurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice John Paul StevensDissentWrote an opinion

Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr., William H. Rehnquist.

Full case caption

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Associated Dry Goods Corp.

SCDB identifiers: case 1980-034, docket 1980-034-01.

Other cases on “Employment discrimination (race, age, religion, illegitimacy, national origin, working conditions)”

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Cases on the same legal provision: Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII)

Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)

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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