Thomas v. Union Carbide Agricultural Products Co.
473 U.S. 568 · Decided July 1, 1985 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Thomas v. Union Carbide Agricultural Products Co. was decided on July 1, 1985 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Arbitration (non-labor)” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 473 U.S. 568 · 105 S. Ct. 3325 · 87 L. Ed. 2d 409 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 121
- Docket number
- 84-497
- Decided
- July 1, 1985
- Argued
- March 26, 1985
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Arbitration (non-labor)
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Article III, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (case or controversy requirement)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Thomas, Administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency v. Union Carbide Agricultural Products Co. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-161, docket 1984-161-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Arbitration (non-labor)”
- Mitsubishi Motors Corp. v. Soler Chrysler-Plymouth, Inc.
- Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. v. Byrd
- Southland Corp. v. Keating
- Shearson/american Express Inc. v. McMahon
- First Options of Chicago, Inc. v. Manuel Kaplan
- Commonwealth Coatings Corp. v. Continental Casualty Co.
Cases on the same legal provision: Article III, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (case or controversy requirement)
- Honig v. Students of the California School for the Blind
- Lake Coal Co., Inc. v. Roberts & Schaefer Co.
- Board of License Commissioners of the Town of Tiverton v. Pastore
- International Union v. Brock
- Allen v. Wright
- Secretary of State of Maryland v. Joseph H. Munson Co., Inc.Law held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Mills Music, Inc. v. Snyder
- Park 'n Fly, Inc. v. Dollar Park and Fly, Inc.
- Ohio v. Kovacs
- Chemical Manufacturers Association v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
- Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. v. Byrd
- Air France v. Saks
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