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Independent Federation of Flight Attendants v. Zipes

491 U.S. 754 · Decided June 22, 1989 · 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

Independent Federation of Flight Attendants v. Zipes was decided on June 22, 1989 by a vote of 6–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Attorneys' and officials' fees, compensation, or licenses” in the Attorneys area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
491 U.S. 754 · 109 S. Ct. 2732 · 105 L. Ed. 2d 639 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 3131
Docket number
88-608
Decided
June 22, 1989
Argued
April 25, 1989
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed and remanded
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
6–2
Majority opinion
Antonin Scalia
Opinion assigned by
William H. Rehnquist
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue area
Attorneys
Legal provision
Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII)
Type of law
Federal statute
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.Dissent
Justice Byron R. WhiteMajority
Justice Thurgood MarshallDissentWrote an opinion
Justice Harry A. BlackmunSpecial concurrenceWrote an opinion
Chief Justice William H. RehnquistMajority
Justice Sandra Day O'ConnorMajority
Justice Antonin ScaliaMajorityWrote an opinion
Justice Anthony M. KennedyMajority

Did not participate: John Paul Stevens.

Full case caption

Independent Federation of Flight Attendants v. Zipes et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1988-134, docket 1988-134-01.

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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