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Greenholtz v. Inmates of the Nebraska Penal and Correction Complex

442 U.S. 1 · Decided May 29, 1979 · 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

Greenholtz v. Inmates of the Nebraska Penal and Correction Complex was decided on May 29, 1979 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights” in the Due Process area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
442 U.S. 1 · 99 S. Ct. 2100 · 60 L. Ed. 2d 668 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 116
Docket number
78-201
Decided
May 29, 1979
Argued
January 17, 1979
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed and remanded
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
5–4
Majority opinion
Warren E. Burger
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue area
Due Process
Legal provision
Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

Greenholtz, Chairman, Board of Parole of Nebraska, et al. v. Inmates of the Nebraska Penal and Correction Complex et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1978-100, docket 1978-100-01.

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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