McCarty v. McCarty
453 U.S. 210 · Decided June 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
McCarty v. McCarty was decided on June 26, 1981 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “National supremacy, marital and family relationships” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 453 U.S. 210 · 101 S. Ct. 2728 · 69 L. Ed. 2d 589 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 128
- Docket number
- 80-5
- Decided
- June 26, 1981
- Argued
- March 2, 1981
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 10 U.S.C. § 1431
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
McCarty v. McCarty
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-140, docket 1980-140-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, marital and family relationships”
- Hisquierdo v. Hisquierdo
- Rose v. Rose
- Yiatchos v. Yiatchos
- Free v. BlandLaw held unconstitutional
- Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy v. James W. Stewart III
- Daniel Coleman v. Court of Appeals of MarylandLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- United States v. California
- Chicago & North Western Transportation Co. v. Kalo Brick & Tile Co.
- Watt v. Alaska
- United States v. Maine
- United States v. Louisiana
- Gulf Offshore Co. v. Mobil Oil 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