Burnham v. Superior Court of California
495 U.S. 604 · Decided May 29, 1990 · 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
Burnham v. Superior Court of California was decided on May 29, 1990 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, jurisdiction over nonresidents” in the Due Process area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 495 U.S. 604 · 110 S. Ct. 2105 · 109 L. Ed. 2d 631 · 1990 U.S. LEXIS 2700
- Docket number
- 89-44
- Decided
- May 29, 1990
- Argued
- February 28, 1990
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, jurisdiction over nonresidents
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Burnham v. Superior Court of California, County of Marin (Burnham, Real Party in Interest)
SCDB identifiers: case 1989-087, docket 1989-087-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, jurisdiction over nonresidents”
- Bendix Autolite Corp. v. Midwesco Enterprises, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Volkswagenwerk Aktiengesellschaft v. Schlunk
- Sun Oil Co. v. Wortman
- Omni Capital International, Ltd. v. Rudolf Wolff & Co., Ltd.
- Asahi Metal Industry Co., Ltd. v. Superior Court of California
- Phillips Petroleum Co. v. Shutts
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Cruzan v. Director
- Hodgson v. MinnesotaLaw held unconstitutional
- Ohio v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health
- Tommy Cage v. Louisiana
- Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Company v. Cleopatra Haslip
- Arizona v. FulminanteAltered precedent
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
- United States v. Sperry Corporation
- J. Paul Preseault v. Interstate Commerce Commission
- Washington v. Walter Harper
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