Department of Motor Vehicles of California v. Rios
410 U.S. 425 · Decided February 26, 1973 · 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 Motor Vehicles of California v. Rios was decided on February 26, 1973 by a vote of 5–4. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “No merits, remand to determine basis of decision” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 410 U.S. 425 · 93 S. Ct. 1019 · 35 L. Ed. 2d 398 · 1973 U.S. LEXIS 104
- Docket number
- 72-686
- Decided
- February 26, 1973
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- No merits, remand to determine basis of decision
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
Department of Motor Vehicles of California v. Rios
SCDB identifiers: case 1972-061, docket 1972-061-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “No merits, remand to determine basis of decision”
- California v. Krivda
- Ohio v. Gallagher
- Massachusetts v. Feeney
- Aldrich v. Aldrich
- Dresner v. City of Tallahassee
- Capital Cities Media, Inc. v. Toole
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Richardson v. Morris
- O'Brien v. Brown
- Illinois v. Michigan
- California v. Krivda
- Johnson v. New York State Education Department
- Tidewater Oil Co. v. United States
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