George F. Denton v. Mike Hernandez
504 U.S. 25 · Decided May 4, 1992 · 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
George F. Denton v. Mike Hernandez was decided on May 4, 1992 by a vote of 7–2. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indigents, costs or filing fees” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 504 U.S. 25 · 112 S. Ct. 1728 · 118 L. Ed. 2d 340 · 1992 U.S. LEXIS 2689
- Docket number
- 90-1846
- Decided
- May 4, 1992
- Argued
- February 24, 1992
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indigents, costs or filing fees
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 1915
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority |
Full case caption
George F. Denton, Director of Corrections of California, et al. v. Mike Hernandez
SCDB identifiers: case 1991-067, docket 1991-067-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indigents, costs or filing fees”
- Wrenn v. Benson
- In re Maria Luisa Costell Gaydos
- M. L. B. v. S. L. J.Law held unconstitutional
- Vincent F. Rivera v. Florida Department of Corrections
- Little v. StreaterLaw held unconstitutional
- Fuller v. Oregon
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 1915
- James Rowland v. California Men's Colony
- Mallard v. United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa
- Neitzke v. Williams
- Johnson v. United States
- Roberts v. United States District Court for the Northern District of California
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Raymond Mireles v. Howard Waco
- Vladimir Zatko v. California
- Barbara Hafer v. James C. Melo, Jr.
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. National Center for Immigrants' Rights, Inc.
- William 'sky' King v. St. Vincent's Hospital
- County of Yakima v. Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Indian Nation
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