Bounds v. Smith
430 U.S. 817 · Decided April 27, 1977 · 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
Bounds v. Smith was decided on April 27, 1977 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights” in the Due Process area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 430 U.S. 817 · 97 S. Ct. 1491 · 52 L. Ed. 2d 72 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 79
- Docket number
- 75-915
- Decided
- April 27, 1977
- Argued
- November 1, 1976
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Bounds, Correction Commissioner, et al. v. Smith et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1976-093, docket 1976-093-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights”
- Moody v. Daggett
- Meachum v. Fano
- Montanye v. Haymes
- Baxter v. Palmigiano
- Bell v. Wolfish
- Greenholtz v. Inmates of the Nebraska Penal and Correction Complex
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Dixon v. Love
- Henderson v. Kibbe
- Moore v. City of East ClevelandLaw held unconstitutional
- Carey v. Population Services InternationalLaw held unconstitutional
- Smith v. Organization of Foster Families for Equality & Reform
- Manson v. Brathwaite
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
- Moody v. Daggett
- Connally v. GeorgiaLaw held unconstitutional
- Codd v. Velger
- Dixon v. Love
- Smith v. Organization of Foster Families for Equality & Reform
- Patterson v. New York
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