Estelle v. Dorrough
420 U.S. 534 · Decided March 17, 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
Estelle v. Dorrough was decided on March 17, 1975 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Subconstitutional fair procedure, fugitive from justice” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 420 U.S. 534 · 95 S. Ct. 1173 · 43 L. Ed. 2d 377 · 1975 U.S. LEXIS 44
- Docket number
- 74-479
- Decided
- March 17, 1975
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- 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 area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| 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
Estelle, Corrections Director v. Dorrough
SCDB identifiers: case 1974-065, docket 1974-065-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Subconstitutional fair procedure, fugitive from justice”
- Molinaro v. New Jersey
- California v. Superior Court of California
- Puerto Rico v. BranstadAltered precedent
- Jose Antonio Ortega-Rodriguez v. United States
- Brian J. Degen v. United States
- New Mexico v. Timothy Reed
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Stanton v. StantonLaw held unconstitutional
- Chapman v. Meier
- Hill v. StoneLaw held unconstitutional
- Sosna v. Iowa
- Dallas County v. Reese
- Milliken v. Bradley
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Ring v. United States
- Francisco v. Gathright
- Maness v. Meyers
- Test v. United States
- Daniel v. Louisiana
- Gerstein v. Pugh
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