National Labor Relations Board v. Bell Aerospace Company, Division of Textron, Inc.

Decided April 23, 1974. Lewis Franklin Powell Jr. delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 72-1598 · 416 U.S. 267 (1974) · Cited 1,135 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 5–4.

“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.

• Packard Motor Car Co. v. National Labor Relations Board · 330 U.S. 485 (1947)
• Securities & Exchange Commission v. Chenery Corp. · 332 U.S. 194 (1947)
• Zemel v. Rusk · 381 U.S. 1 (1965)
• J. I. Case Co. v. National Labor Relations Board · 321 U.S. 332 (1944)
• Norwegian Nitrogen Products Co. v. United States · 288 U.S. 294 (1933)
• Securities & Exchange Commission v. Chenery Corp. · 318 U.S. 80 (1943)
• Udall v. Tallman · 380 U.S. 1 (1965)
• Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. Federal Communications Commission · 395 U.S. 367 (1969)
• Commissioner v. Glenshaw Glass Co. · 348 U.S. 426 (1955)
• Boys Markets, Inc. v. Retail Clerks Union, Local 770 · 398 U.S. 235 (1970)
• National Labor Relations Board v. Hearst Publications, Inc. · 322 U.S. 111 (1944)
• National Labor Relations Board v. Wyman-Gordon Co. · 394 U.S. 759 (1969)
• Golden State Bottling Co. v. National Labor Relations Board · 414 U.S. 168 (1973)
• Federal Trade Commission v. Sperry & Hutchinson Co. · 405 U.S. 233 (1972)
• National Labor Relations Board v. Seven-Up Bottling Co. of Miami, Inc. · 344 U.S. 344 (1953)
• National Labor Relations Board v. United Insurance Co. of America · 390 U.S. 254 (1968)
• Helvering v. R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. · 306 U.S. 110 (1939)
• Sinclair Refining Co. v. Atkinson · 370 U.S. 195 (1962)
• Girouard v. United States · 328 U.S. 61 (1946)
• Federal Housing Administration v. Darlington, Inc. · 358 U.S. 84 (1958)
• National Labor Relations Board v. Gullett Gin Co. · 340 U.S. 361 (1951)
• Commissioner v. Estate of Noel · 380 U.S. 678 (1965)
• Costanzo v. Tillinghast · 287 U.S. 341 (1932)

Cited by

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

• National Labor Relations Board v. Hendricks County Rural Electric Membership Corp. · 454 U.S. 170 (1981)
• National Labor Relations Board v. Yeshiva University · 444 U.S. 672 (1980)
• Martin v. Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission · 499 U.S. 144 (1991)
• Allentown MacK Sales & Service, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board · 522 U.S. 359 (1998)
• National Labor Relations Board v. Kentucky River Community Care, Inc. · 532 U.S. 706 (2001)
• United States v. Mead Corp. · 533 U.S. 218 (2001)
• North Haven Board of Education v. Bell · 456 U.S. 512 (1982)
• National Labor Relations Board v. Health Care & Retirement Corp. of America · 511 U.S. 571 (1994)
• Florida Power & Light Co. v. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 641 · 417 U.S. 790 (1974)
• International Brotherhood of Teamsters v. United States · 431 U.S. 324 (1977)
• Bowen v. Georgetown University Hospital · 488 U.S. 204 (1988)
• Immigration & Naturalization Service v. Doherty · 502 U.S. 314 (1992)
• Fidelity Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n v. De La Cuesta · 458 U.S. 141 (1982)
• Two Pesos, Inc. v. Taco Cabana, Inc. · 505 U.S. 763 (1992)
• Heckler v. Community Health Services of Crawford County, Inc. · 467 U.S. 51 (1984)
• Illinois Brick Co. v. Illinois · 431 U.S. 720 (1977)
• K Mart Corp. v. Cartier, Inc. · 486 U.S. 281 (1988)
• Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Schor · 478 U.S. 833 (1986)
• United States v. Winstar Corp. · 518 U.S. 839 (1996)
• Federal Election Commission v. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee · 454 U.S. 27 (1981)
• Aaron v. Securities & Exchange Commission · 446 U.S. 680 (1980)
• United States v. Ramsey · 431 U.S. 606 (1977)
• Babbitt v. Sweet Home Chapter, Communities for Great Ore. · 515 U.S. 687 (1995)
• Smiley v. Citibank (South Dakota), N. A. · 517 U.S. 735 (1996)
• Christopher v. Smithkline Beecham Corp. · 567 U.S. 142 (2012)
• Haig v. Agee · 453 U.S. 280 (1981)
• Guardians Assn. v. Civil Serv. Comm'n of New York City · 463 U.S. 582 (1983)
• National Labor Relations Board v. United Food & Commercial Workers Union, Local 23 · 484 U.S. 112 (1987)
• Shalala v. Guernsey Memorial Hospital · 514 U.S. 87 (1995)
• Metropolitan Edison Co. v. National Labor Relations Board · 460 U.S. 693 (1983)

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).