Department of Mental Hygiene of California v. Kirchner
380 U.S. 194 · Decided March 8, 1965 · 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
Department of Mental Hygiene of California v. Kirchner was decided on March 8, 1965 by a vote of 8–1. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John M. Harlan II wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “No merits, adequate non-federal grounds” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 380 U.S. 194 · 85 S. Ct. 871 · 13 L. Ed. 2d 753 · 1965 U.S. LEXIS 1667
- Docket number
- 111
- Decided
- March 8, 1965
- Argued
- January 19, 1965
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- John M. Harlan II
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- No merits, adequate non-federal grounds
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
Department of Mental Hygiene of California v. Kirchner, Administratrix
SCDB identifiers: case 1964-056, docket 1964-056-01.
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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