Jett v. Dallas Independent School District
491 U.S. 701 · 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
Jett v. Dallas Independent School District was decided on June 22, 1989 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability under civil rights acts” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 491 U.S. 701 · 109 S. Ct. 2702 · 105 L. Ed. 2d 598 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 3130
- Docket number
- 87-2084
- Decided
- June 22, 1989
- Argued
- March 28, 1989
- Court era
- Rehnquist 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
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability under civil rights acts
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 42 U.S.C. § 1981 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- 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. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Jett v. Dallas Independent School District
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-133, docket 1988-133-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- Will v. Michigan Department of State Police
- Hardin v. Straub
- Graham v. Connor
- City of Canton v. Harris
- Owens v. Okure
- Golden State Transit Corp. v. City of Los Angeles
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1981 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Patterson v. McLean Credit Union
- Gary M. McKnight v. General Motors Corporation
- Cooper v. Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
- Runyon et Ux. v. McCrary
- CBOCS West, Inc. v. Hedrick G. Humphries
- Comcast Corp. v. National Association of African American-Owned Media
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Town of Huntington v. Huntington Branch
- Penson v. Ohio
- Pittston Coal Group v. Sebben
- Owens v. Okure
- City of Richmond v. J. A. Croson CompanyLaw held unconstitutional
- In re McDonald
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