Employability of aliens: Supreme Court decisions

Every U.S. Supreme Court decision from the 1946 through 2025 Terms that the Supreme Court Database classifies under the issue “Employability of aliens,” part of the Civil Rights area.

13decisions

54%favorable to the petitioner

8%unanimous

5altered precedent or struck a law

Decisions by decade

1940s1

1970s9

1980s3

Most majority opinions

Legal provisions most often involved

Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)6

National Labor Relations Act1

42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)1

Fifth Amendment (due process)1

Article VI, Section 2 (supremacy clause)1

Immigration and Nationality statutes1

Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII)1

8 U.S.C. § 411

All 13 decisions, newest first

Sure-Tan, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board
467 U.S. 883Decided June 25, 19847–2Sandra Day O'Connor
Bernal v. FainterLaw held unconstitutional
467 U.S. 216Decided May 30, 19848–1Thurgood Marshall
Cabell v. Chavez-Salido
454 U.S. 432Decided January 12, 19825–4Byron R. White
Ambach v. Norwick
441 U.S. 68Decided April 17, 19795–4Lewis F. Powell Jr.
Foley v. Connelie
435 U.S. 291Decided March 22, 19786–3Warren E. Burger
Examining Board of Engineers v. Flores de OteroLaw held unconstitutional
426 U.S. 572Decided June 17, 19767–1Harry A. Blackmun
Hampton v. Mow Sun WongLaw held unconstitutional
426 U.S. 88Decided June 1, 19765–4John Paul Stevens
De Canas v. Bica
424 U.S. 351Decided February 25, 19768–0William J. Brennan Jr.
Saxbe v. Bustos
419 U.S. 65Decided November 25, 19745–4William O. Douglas
Espinoza et Vir v. Farah Manufacturing Co., Inc.
414 U.S. 86Decided November 19, 19738–1Thurgood Marshall
Sugarman v. DougallLaw held unconstitutional
413 U.S. 634Decided June 25, 19738–1Harry A. Blackmun
In re Griffiths
413 U.S. 717Decided June 25, 19737–2Lewis F. Powell Jr.
Takahashi v. Fish and Game CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
334 U.S. 410Decided June 7, 19487–2Hugo L. Black

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