Federated Department Stores, Inc., et al. v. Moitie et al.

Decided June 15, 1981. William Hubbs Rehnquist delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 79-1517 · 452 U.S. 394 (1981) · Cited 2,470 times

We don’t yet publish a summary of this opinion — read the official text below for the Court’s holding and reasoning.

How the Justices voted

Decided 8–1.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.

Precedents cited

Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.

• Reed v. Allen · 286 U.S. 191 (1932)
• Gully v. First Nat. Bank in Meridian · 299 U.S. 109 (1936)
• Commissioner v. Sunnen · 333 U.S. 591 (1948)
• Reiter v. Sonotone Corp. · 442 U.S. 330 (1979)
• Cromwell v. County of Sac · 94 U.S. 351 (1877)
• Chicot County Drainage District v. Baxter State Bank · 308 U.S. 371 (1940)
• Great Northern Railway Co. v. Alexander · 246 U.S. 276 (1918)
• Angel v. Bullington · 330 U.S. 183 (1947)
• Bell v. Hood · 327 U.S. 678 (1946)
• Shamrock Oil & Gas Corp. v. Sheets · 313 U.S. 100 (1941)
• United States v. Munsingwear, Inc. · 340 U.S. 36 (1950)
• Brown v. Felsen · 442 U.S. 127 (1979)
• Ackermann v. United States · 340 U.S. 193 (1950)
• The Fair v. Kohler Die & Specialty Co. · 228 U.S. 22 (1913)
• Baltimore Steamship Co. v. Phillips · 274 U.S. 316 (1927)
• Baldwin v. Iowa State Traveling Men's Assn. · 283 U.S. 522 (1931)
• Healy v. Ratta · 292 U.S. 263 (1934)
• Heiser v. Woodruff · 327 U.S. 726 (1946)
• Tennessee v. Union & Planters' Bank · 152 U.S. 454 (1894)
• Local 20, Teamsters, Chauffeurs & Helpers Union v. Morton · 377 U.S. 252 (1964)
• Hart Steel Co. v. Railroad Supply Co. · 244 U.S. 294 (1917)
• Sheet Metal Workers’ International Assn., AFL-CIO v. Carter · 450 U.S. 949 (1981)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• Christianson v. Colt Industries Operating Corp. · 486 U.S. 800 (1988)
• Marrese v. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons · 470 U.S. 373 (1985)
• B&B Hardware, Inc. v. Hargis Industries, Inc. · 575 U.S. 138 (2015)
• Semtek International Inc. v. Lockheed Martin Corp. · 531 U.S. 497 (2001)
• San Remo Hotel, L. P. v. City & County of San Francisco · 545 U.S. 323 (2005)
• American Trucking Assns., Inc. v. Smith · 496 U.S. 167 (1990)
• Moore v. Harper · 600 U.S. 1 (2023)
• Kremer v. Chemical Construction Corp. · 456 U.S. 461 (1982)
• Arizona v. California · 460 U.S. 605 (1983)
• James B. Beam Distilling Co. v. Georgia · 501 U.S. 529 (1991)
• Nevada v. United States · 463 U.S. 110 (1983)
• El Paso Natural Gas Co. v. Neztsosie · 526 U.S. 473 (1999)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

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Source: the U.S. Reports via govinfo.gov; authoring Justice and vote lineup from the Supreme Court Database (Washington University). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).