Costarelli v. Massachusetts
421 U.S. 193 · Decided April 28, 1975 · 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
Costarelli v. Massachusetts was decided on April 28, 1975 unanimously (8–0). SCDB codes the disposition as “petition denied or appeal dismissed.” The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Supreme Court jurisdiction on appeal from highest state court” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 421 U.S. 193 · 95 S. Ct. 1534 · 44 L. Ed. 2d 76 · 1975 U.S. LEXIS 58
- Docket number
- 73-6739
- Decided
- April 28, 1975
- Argued
- March 17, 1975
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Petition denied or appeal dismissed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 1257
- 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. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Did not participate: William O. Douglas.
Full case caption
Costarelli v. Massachusetts
SCDB identifiers: case 1974-088, docket 1974-088-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Supreme Court jurisdiction on appeal from highest state court”
- Key v. Doyle
- Gotthilf v. Sills
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Alabama ex Rel. Patterson
- Susan Jinks v. Richland County
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 1257
- Banks v. California
- San Diego Gas & Electric Co. v. City of San Diego
- Flynt v. Ohio
- O'Dell v. Espinoza
- Xerox Corp. v. County of Harris
- Arceneaux v. Louisiana
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- United States v. Michigan National Corp.
- Gonzalez v. Automatic Employees Credit Union
- Fusari v. Steinberg
- Harris County Commissioners Court v. Moore
- Board of School Commissioners of the City of Indianapolis v. Jacobs
- Lee v. Thornton
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