Rostker, Director of Selective Service v. Goldberg et al.

Decided June 25, 1981. William Hubbs Rehnquist delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 80-251 · 453 U.S. 57 (1981) · Cited 560 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 6–3.

“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.

• Craig v. Boren · 429 U.S. 190 (1976)
• Schlesinger v. Ballard · 419 U.S. 498 (1975)
• Reed v. Reed · 404 U.S. 71 (1971)
• Orloff v. Willoughby · 345 U.S. 83 (1953)
• Orr v. Orr · 440 U.S. 268 (1979)
• Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Democratic National Committee · 412 U.S. 94 (1973)
• Michael M. v. Superior Court of Sonoma County · 450 U.S. 464 (1981)
• Baker v. Carr · 369 U.S. 186 (1962)
• United States v. O'Brien · 391 U.S. 367 (1968)
• Powell v. McCormack · 395 U.S. 486 (1969)
• Bolling v. Sharpe · 347 U.S. 497 (1954)
• Frontiero v. Richardson · 411 U.S. 677 (1973)
• United States Railroad Retirement Board v. Fritz · 449 U.S. 166 (1980)
• Caban v. Mohammed · 441 U.S. 380 (1979)
• United States v. Robel · 389 U.S. 258 (1967)
• Phillips v. Martin Marietta Corp. · 400 U.S. 542 (1971)
• Califano v. Westcott · 443 U.S. 76 (1979)
• Wengler v. Druggists Mutual Insurance · 446 U.S. 142 (1980)
• KIRCHBERG v. FEENSTRA Et Al. · 450 U.S. 455 (1981)
• Personnel Administrator of Mass. v. Feeney · 442 U.S. 256 (1979)
• Trop v. Dulles · 356 U.S. 86 (1958)
• Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee v. McGrath · 341 U.S. 123 (1951)
• Parker v. Levy · 417 U.S. 733 (1974)
• Home Building & Loan Assn. v. Blaisdell · 290 U.S. 398 (1934)
• Greer v. Spock · 424 U.S. 828 (1976)
• Schweiker v. Wilson · 450 U.S. 221 (1981)
• Burns v. Wilson · 346 U.S. 137 (1953)
• Gilligan v. Morgan · 413 U.S. 1 (1973)
• United States Ex Rel. Toth v. Quarles · 350 U.S. 11 (1955)
• Lichter v. United States · 334 U.S. 742 (1948)

Cited by

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

• Selective Service System v. Minnesota Public Interest Research Group · 468 U.S. 841 (1984)
• Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, Inc. · 547 U.S. 47 (2006)
• Goldman v. Weinberger · 475 U.S. 503 (1986)
• Weiss v. United States · 510 U.S. 163 (1994)
• United States v. Virginia · 518 U.S. 515 (1996)
• Edwards v. Aguillard · 482 U.S. 578 (1987)
• Walters v. National Assn. of Radiation Survivors · 473 U.S. 305 (1985)
• Loving v. United States · 517 U.S. 748 (1996)
• Solorio v. United States · 483 U.S. 435 (1987)
• Kennedy v. Braidwood Management, Inc. · 606 U.S. 748 (2025)
• City of Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Center, Inc. · 473 U.S. 432 (1985)
• United States v. Lopez · 514 U.S. 549 (1995)
• Schad v. Arizona · 501 U.S. 624 (1991)
• Chappell v. Wallace · 462 U.S. 296 (1983)
• Boumediene v. Bush · 553 U.S. 723 (2008)
• Printz v. United States · 521 U.S. 898 (1997)
• Morrison v. Olson · 487 U.S. 654 (1988)
• Sable Communications of California, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission · 492 U.S. 115 (1989)
• Board of Ed. of Westside Community Schools (Dist. 66) v. Mergens · 496 U.S. 226 (1990)
• Regan v. Time, Inc. · 468 U.S. 641 (1984)
• Elgin v. Department of the Treasury · 567 U.S. 1 (2012)
• Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission · 520 U.S. 180 (1997)
• Metro Broadcasting, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission · 497 U.S. 547 (1990)
• Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One v. Holder · 557 U.S. 193 (2009)
• Federal Election Commission v. National Right to Work Committee · 459 U.S. 197 (1982)
• Lowe v. Securities & Exchange Commission · 472 U.S. 181 (1985)
• Ticor Title Insurance v. Brown · 511 U.S. 117 (1994)

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).