Cornelius v. Nutt
472 U.S. 648 · Decided June 24, 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
Cornelius v. Nutt was decided on June 24, 1985 by a vote of 6–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, hearing for government employees” in the Due Process area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 472 U.S. 648 · 105 S. Ct. 2882 · 86 L. Ed. 2d 515 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 99
- Docket number
- 83-1673
- Decided
- June 24, 1985
- Argued
- January 7, 1985
- 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
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, hearing for government employees
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Legal provision
- 5 U.S.C. § 7701
- 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 | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..
Full case caption
Cornelius, Acting Director, Office of Personnel Management v. Nutt et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-138, docket 1984-138-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, hearing for government employees”
- Cleveland Board of Education v. Loudermill
- National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Jerry Tarkanian
- Codd v. Velger
- Bishop v. Wood
- Arnett v. Kennedy
- Christian v. New York State Department of Labor
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