Supreme Court decisions of October Term 1981
The Court’s 1981 Term began in October 1981. These are the 177 decisions SCDB records for it, decided between October 19, 1981 and July 2, 1982, during the Burger Court.
177decisions
71%favorable to the petitioner
35%unanimous
25altered precedent or struck a law
By issue area
Most majority opinions
Decided by one vote (35)
- Fair Assessment in Real Estate Association, Inc. v. McNary
- National Labor Relations Board v. Hendricks County Rural Electric Membership Corp.
- Piper Aircraft Co. v. Reyno
- Charles D. Bonanno Linen Service, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board
- Cabell v. Chavez-Salido
- Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Inc.
- Texaco, Inc. v. Short
- Eddings v. Oklahoma
- Rose v. Lundy
- Santosky v. KramerLaw held unconstitutional
- American Tobacco Co. v. Patterson
- Larson v. ValenteLaw held unconstitutional
- Merrill Lynch v. Curran
- Kremer v. Chemical Construction Corp.
- Federal Bureau of Investigation v. Abramson
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission v. Mississippi
- Tibbs v. Florida
- United Steelworkers of America v. Sadlowski
- California v. Texas
- Plyler v. DoeLaw held unconstitutional
- Arizona v. Maricopa County Medical Society
- Connecticut v. Teal
- Blue Shield of Virginia v. McCready
- United States v. Johnson
- Foremost Insurance Co. v. Richardson
- Taylor v. Alabama
- Nixon v. Fitzgerald
- Board of Education v. Pico
- Lugar v. Edmondson Oil Co., Inc.
- Clements v. Fashing
- Williams v. United States
- Washington v. Seattle School District No. 1Law held unconstitutional
- Florida Department of State v. Treasure Salvors, Inc.
- Mississippi University for Women v. HoganLaw held unconstitutional
- Enmund v. FloridaLaw held unconstitutional
All decisions, in order
- Duckworth v. Serrano
- Chardon v. Fernandez
- Jago v. Van Curen
- Federal Election Commission v. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
- Ridgway v. Ridgway
- Leeke v. Timmerman
- California ex Rel. Cooper v. Mitchell Brothers' Santa Ana Theater
- Fair Assessment in Real Estate Association, Inc. v. McNary
- Weinberger v. Catholic Action of Hawaii/peace Education Project
- Watt v. Energy Action Educational Foundation
- National Labor Relations Board v. Hendricks County Rural Electric Membership Corp.
- Ralston v. Robinson
- Harris v. Rivera
- Piper Aircraft Co. v. Reyno
- Widmar v. Vincent
- Citizens Against Rent Control/coalition for Fair Housing v. City of BerkeleyLaw held unconstitutional
- Polk County v. Dodson
- Tennessee v. Arkansas
- Central Trust Co. v. Official Creditors' Committee of Geiger Enterprises, Inc.
- Boag v. Macdougall
- Hutto v. Davis
- Donovan v. Richland County Association for Retarded Citizens
- Blanding v. Dubose
- Charles D. Bonanno Linen Service, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board
- Cabell v. Chavez-Salido
- Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Inc.
- Texaco, Inc. v. Short
- United States v. Clark
- Washington v. Chrisman
- United States v. Vogel Fertilizer Co.
- Community Communications Co., Inc. v. City of Boulder
- Kaiser Steel Corp. v. Mullins
- Princeton University v. Schmid
- Eddings v. Oklahoma
- Common Cause v. Schmitt
- Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe
- In re R. M. J.Law held unconstitutional
- Smith v. Phillips
- Tully v. Mobil Oil Corp.
- United States v. Lee
- Herweg et Vir v. Ray
- City of Mesquite v. Aladdin's Castle, Inc.
- Jewett et Ux. v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
- Consolidated Freightways Corporation of Delaware v. Kassel
- New England Power Co. v. New HampshireLaw held unconstitutional
- Baldrige v. Shapiro
- Havens Realty Corp. v. Coleman
- Zipes v. Trans World Airlines, Inc.
- G.D. Searle & Co. v. Cohn
- Logan v. Zimmerman Brush Co.
- White v. New Hampshire Department of Employment Security
- Railway Labor Executives' Assn. v. GibbonsLaw held unconstitutional
- Murphy v. Hunt
- Village of Hoffman Estates v. the Flipside
- Rose v. Lundy
- Marine Bank v. Weaver et Ux.
- United Mine Workers of America Health & Retirement Funds v. Robinson
- Bread Political Action Committee v. Federal Election Commission
- Wainwright v. Torna
- Sumner v. Mata
- Fletcher v. Weir
- U.S. Industries/federal Sheet Metal, Inc. v. Director
- Lane v. Williams
- McElroy v. United States
- American Medical Association v. Federal Trade Commission
- United Transportation Union v. Long Island Rail Road Co.
- Underwriters National Assurance Co. v. North Carolina Life & Accident & Health Insurance Guaranty Assn.
- United States v. New Mexico
- Santosky v. KramerLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Macdonald
- Weinberger v. Rossi
- Upham v. Seamon
- Brown v. HartlageLaw held unconstitutional
- American Tobacco Co. v. Patterson
- Mills v. HabluetzelLaw held unconstitutional
- Engle v. Isaac
- United States v. Frady
- Schweiker v. McClure
- United States v. Erika, Inc.
- International Longshoremen's Association v. Allied International, Inc.
- Larson v. ValenteLaw held unconstitutional
- Pullman-Standard v. Swint
- Weinberger v. Romero-Barcelo
- Southern Pacific Transportation Co. v. Commercial Metals Co.
- Merrill Lynch v. Curran
- Zant v. Stephens
- O'Dell v. Espinoza
- Finnegan v. Leu
- Greene v. LindseyLaw held unconstitutional
- Kremer v. Chemical Construction Corp.
- North Haven Board of Education v. Bell
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Inc. v. Hydrolevel Corp.
- United States Department of State v. Washington Post Co.
- Finley v. Murray
- Hopper v. Evans
- Federal Bureau of Investigation v. Abramson
- Woelke & Romero Framing, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board
- Oregon v. Kennedy
- Insurance Corporation of Ireland, Ltd. v. Compagnie Des Bauxites de Guinee
- Summit Valley Industries, Inc. v. Local 112
- Army and Air Force Exchange Service v. Sheehan
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission v. Mississippi
- United States v. RossAltered precedent
- Inwood Laboratories, Inc. v. Ives Laboratories, Inc.
- United States v. Louisiana
- California v. Nevada
- Rodriguez v. Popular Democratic Party
- Jackson Transit Authority v. Local Division 1285
- Tibbs v. Florida
- Johnson v. Board of Education of the City of Chicago
- Zobel et Ux. v. WilliamsLaw held unconstitutional
- Cory v. White
- United Steelworkers of America v. Sadlowski
- Blum v. BaconLaw held unconstitutional
- General Telephone Company of the Southwest v. Falcon
- California v. Texas
- Texas v. Oklahoma
- Sumitomo Shoji America, Inc. v. Avagliano
- Diedrich v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
- Plyler v. DoeLaw held unconstitutional
- Hathorn v. Lovorn
- California ex Rel. State Lands Commission v. United States
- Mills v. Rogers
- Youngberg v. Romeo
- Arizona v. Maricopa County Medical Society
- United States v. Goodwin
- California v. Grace Brethren Church
- Middlesex County Ethics Committee v. Garden State Bar Association
- Connecticut v. Teal
- Blue Shield of Virginia v. McCready
- Patsy v. Board of Regents of the State of Florida
- United States v. Johnson
- Schweiker v. Hogan
- Schmidt v. Oakland Unified School District
- Globe Newspaper Co. v. Superior Court for the County of NorfolkLaw held unconstitutional
- Edgar v. Mite Corp.Law held unconstitutional
- Foremost Insurance Co. v. Richardson
- Taylor v. Alabama
- Jacksonville Bulk Terminals, Inc. v. International Longshoremen's Association
- Nixon v. Fitzgerald
- Harlow v. Fitzgerald
- Rendell-Baker v. Kohn
- Board of Education v. Pico
- Lugar v. Edmondson Oil Co., Inc.
- Clements v. Fashing
- Blum v. Yaretsky
- Toll v. Moreno
- Northern Pipeline Construction Co. v. Marathon Pipe Line Co.Law held unconstitutional
- Union Labor Life Insurance Co. v. Pireno
- Fidelity Federal Savings & Loan Association v. de La Cuesta
- Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley
- Ford Motor Co. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Michigan v. Thomas
- United States v. Hollywood Motor Car Co., Inc.
- South Dakota v. Nebraska
- Williams v. United States
- Asarco Inc. v. Idaho State Tax CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
- F. W. Woolworth Co. v. Taxation and Revenue Department of New MexicoLaw held unconstitutional
- General Building Contractors Association, Inc. v. Pennsylvania
- Loretto v. Teleprompter Manhattan Catv Corp.Law held unconstitutional
- Washington v. Seattle School District No. 1Law held unconstitutional
- Lehman on Behalf of Her Children v. Lycoming County Children's Services Agency
- Crawford v. Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles
- Griffin v. Oceanic Contractors, Inc.
- Velde v. National Black Police Assn., Inc.
- Alfred L. Snapp & Son, Inc. v. Puerto Rico ex Rel. Barez
- Rogers v. LodgeLaw held unconstitutional
- Rice v. Norman Williams Co.
- Florida Department of State v. Treasure Salvors, Inc.
- Mississippi University for Women v. HoganLaw held unconstitutional
- New York v. Ferber
- Enmund v. FloridaLaw held unconstitutional
- Ramah Navajo School Board, Inc. v. Bureau of Revenue of New Mexico
- United States v. Valenzuela-Bernal
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Claiborne Hardware Co.
- Sporhase v. Nebraska ex Rel. DouglasAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Board of Education of Rogers v. McCluskey
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