Atkins v. Parker
472 U.S. 115 · Decided June 4, 1985 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Atkins v. Parker was decided on June 4, 1985 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, miscellaneous” in the Due Process area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 472 U.S. 115 · 105 S. Ct. 2520 · 86 L. Ed. 2d 81 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 92
- Docket number
- 83-1660
- Decided
- June 4, 1985
- Argued
- November 27, 1984
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Legal provision
- 7 U.S.C. § 2011
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Atkins, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Welfare v. Parker et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-116, docket 1984-116-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, miscellaneous”
- Wasman v. United States
- California v. Trombetta
- McMillan v. Pennsylvania
- Board of Education of Paris Union School District No. 95 v. Vail
- Martin v. Ohio
- Jones v. United States
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
- United States v. 50 Acres of Land
- Cleveland Board of Education v. Loudermill
- United States v. Locke
- Burger King Corp. v. Rudzewicz
- Ponte v. Real
- Black v. Romano
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