Star Athletica, L.L.C. v. Varsity Brands, Inc.
137 S. Ct. 1002 · Decided March 22, 2017 · 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
Star Athletica, L.L.C. v. Varsity Brands, Inc. was decided on March 22, 2017 by a vote of 6–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Copyrights” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
- CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
- Supreme Court of the United States — slip opinions, October Term 2016
Case details
- Citations
- 137 S. Ct. 1002 · 197 L. Ed. 2d 354 · 2017 U.S. LEXIS 2026
- Docket number
- 15-866
- Decided
- March 22, 2017
- Argued
- October 31, 2016
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- Clarence Thomas
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Copyrights
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Copyright Act
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority |
Full case caption
Star Athletica, L.L.C. v. Varsity Brands, Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 2016-007, docket 2016-007-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Copyrights”
- Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com
- Rimini Street Inc. v. Oracle USA Inc.
- American Broadcasting Cos. v. Aereo, Inc.
- Petrella v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.
- Georgia v. Public.resource.org Inc.
- Supap Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Samsung Electronics v. Apple
- State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. v. United States
- Life Technologies Corp. v. Promega Corp.
- Sca Hygiene Prods. Aktiebolag v. First Quality Baby Prods., LLC
- Czyzewski v. Jevic Holding Corp.
- Kindred Nursing Centers v. Clark
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