Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/10pdf/10-277.pdf
Page Number: 5

Cite as:  564 U. S. ____ (2011) 

1 

Opinion of the Court 

NOTICE:  This opinion is subject to formal revision before publication in the
preliminary  print  of  the  United  States  Reports.  Readers  are  requested  to
notify the Reporter of Decisions, Supreme Court of the United States, Wash-
ington,  D. C.  20543,  of  any  typographical  or  other  formal  errors,  in  order
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SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES 

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No. 10–277 
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WAL-MART STORES, INC., PETITIONER v.

BETTY DUKES ET AL. 

ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF 

APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

[June 20, 2011] 

JUSTICE SCALIA delivered the opinion of the Court. 
We  are  presented  with  one  of  the  most  expansive  class 
actions ever.  The District Court and the Court of Appeals
approved the certification of a class comprising about one 
and  a  half  million  plaintiffs,  current  and  former  female 
employees  of  petitioner  Wal-Mart  who  allege  that  the
discretion  exercised  by  their  local  supervisors  over  pay
and  promotion  matters  violates  Title  VII  by  discriminat-
ing against women.  In addition to injunctive and declara-
tory  relief,  the  plaintiffs  seek  an  award  of  backpay.    We 
consider  whether  the  certification  of  the  plaintiff  class 
was consistent with Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 23(a) 
and (b)(2). 

I 

A 

Petitioner  Wal-Mart  is  the  Nation’s  largest  private
employer.  It  operates  four  types  of  retail  stores  through-
out the country: Discount Stores, Supercenters, Neighbor-
hood Markets, and Sam’s Clubs.  Those stores are divided 
into seven nationwide divisions, which in turn comprise 41
regions of 80 to 85 stores apiece.  Each store has between